Sutherland Macdonald (1860–1942) was a prominent English

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

artist in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the first tattooist in Britain with an identifiable premises open to the public. Operating in a salon in London's

Jermyn Street Jermyn Street is a One-way traffic, one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing r ...

, he is listed in the 1894 London Post Office Directory. He is considered the first person to offer a professional tattoo service in London, although the practice was already popular in Japan and the Middle East prior to that time. He was erroneously said to have tattooed kings and princes, including

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

when he was

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Life and career

Sutherland Macdonald was born in Boundary Terrace, Leeds on 25 June 1860. He served in the British Army in the 1870s as a telegraph operator in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

and was in the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

. In addition to artistic designs, he also performed color blending on skin grafts of accident victims. He died on 18 June 1942 at his home on 3 Guilford Avenue, Surbiton, and is buried at Surbiton Cemetery.

Legacy

On 29 January 2016, the

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

opened a display which included some of his work called ''Tattoo London''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Sutherland 1860 births 1942 deaths British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British tattoo artists Artists from Leeds People from Surbiton Royal Engineers soldiers Military personnel from Leeds 19th-century British Army personnel Male tattoo artists

Life and career

Legacy

See also

References