Western sailors have been donning these kinds of tattoos since the 1800s, getting their names, rank, and service number inked on themselves. Like a badge of honor or way to tell a story, they also often symbolized an important part of their military journey: the places they went (like Hawaii or the South Pacific), anchors (which symbolized stability), or swallows (which represented a sailor having traveled 5,000 miles). By the ’60s, artists like Sailor Jerry and Don Ed Hardy (remember Ed Hardy?!) opened up shop in the States, and the style became even more iconic. Nowadays, people get inked with those iconic images and more. Anyone can have anything done in the American traditional style, and still channel the bold, strong, and vivid energy that sailors used to with theirs. For those who are intrigued by old-school tattoos but don’t know where to start, we gathered up 50 stunning American traditional tattoos. old_old4tattoo/Instagram, filipkoukal/Instagram, daquelalaia/Instagram More from CafeMom: 50 Mother-Daughter Tattoos That Are Simply Breathtaking More from CafeMom: 31 Meaningful Tattoos Parents Got to Honor Their Kids More from CafeMom: 20 Best Tattoos That Show Husband Love More from CafeMom: 21 Meaningful Tattoos That Memorialize Miscarriage & Infant Loss More from CafeMom: 10 Breast Cancer Survivors’ Mastectomy Tattoos That Are Stunning & Inspiring More from CafeMom: 23 Perfectly Tiny Tattoos That Can Be Covered or Shown at Will More from CafeMom: 50 Brilliant Tattoo Ideas for Moms Who Want to Get Inked More from CafeMom: 50 Majorly Cool & Tiny Micro Tattoos More from CafeMom: 20 Heartfelt Tattoos That Make Us Wanna Fall in Love More from CafeMom: 24 Hip Tattoos So Stunning We Can’t Help But Stare