Tattoo Artist Profile: Norman 'Sailor Jerry' Collins
- liviamichaelart
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
Greetings, internet! It’s Livia Michael again! At Speakeasy Tattoo in Los Angeles, I am learning about the various giants and icons of the tattoo industry. One name that has become incredibly well-known and closely associated with the world of tattoo is Sailor Jerry.
Sailor Jerry was born as Norman Collins in Reno, Nevada in 1911. Collins’ father gave him the nickname, ‘Jerry’ when he was a child, after the family mule, Jerry, since they were both very headstrong. Collins left home in his teens and began hitchhiking all over the United States and taking odd jobs where he could. During his travels he met a man called ‘Big Mike’ who introduced him to the art of ‘stick and poke’ tattooing. Collins developed a strong interest in tattooing and wanted to improve his skills. During the 1920s, when Collins was in Chicago, he met a well-known tattoo artist, Gib ‘Tatts’ Thomas, who agreed to take him under his wing and teach him to use a tattoo machine. Collins apparently paid random vagabonds off the street or provided them with alcohol so that he could practice his tattoo skills on them while he was apprenticing Thomas.
Collins enlisted in the United States Navy when he was nineteen. This is where he began being known as ‘Sailor Jerry.’ During his Navy service, Collins was stationed in various areas of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. After his service in the 1930s, he ended up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he opened a tattoo shop in Chinatown. After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, Collins attempted to re-enlist in the Navy, but he was turned down. He did, however, join the Merchant Marines, where he was able to continue serving the United States as a civilian and professional mariner.
World War II definitely served as a catalyst for the boom of Collins’ tattoo business in Honolulu. With so many young men from all walks of life enlisting and being drafted into the military and being stationed or on leave in Hawaii, this allowed for an influx of tattoo patrons for Collins. If one encounters Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins’ impressive body of work, it is evident the influence that Southeast Asian art, the military, and nautical culture had on his creations. Whether it’s a bodacious pinup, an anchor, a hula girl, a pair of dice, a geisha flirting behind a fan, a skull and cross bones, a heart with a dagger through it, or a ship with its sails blowing in the wind, Sailor Jerry’s work is distinct, iconic, and laid the groundwork for the American traditional style of tattooing that is still practiced to this day. Additionally, Sailor Jerry revolutionized hygienic practices in the tattoo industry, as he was an advocate for autoclave sterilization of equipment and the usage of single-use needles.
Sailor Jerry passed away in 1973, after a heart attack while he was riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle. He is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. His legacy lives on in the tattoo industry, as well as the nightlife industry, with the rum brand named for him after his passing.
Sailor Jerry is an incredible example of an artist who chose to live outside of the confines of society, while also committing his life to service and the betterment of the tattoo industry and world as a whole. We could all be a little more like him.
Until next week…
-Livia Michael
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