Tattoo culture at the time was very much fringe and on the outskirts of society, unlike the mainstream appeal and fine art credibility it has today. These sailors would get iconic images stamped on their body as a celebration of their service; only accomplished sailors that have been to far away lands and traveled a certain number of miles were able to get swallows, for example. Traditional tattoos were not customly created, rather they were just flash picked off walls.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8010139