American traditional tattooing isn’t just art — it’s history, rebellion, and identity. At Queen’s Head American Traditional Supply, we turn that tradition into streetwear: bold prints, timeless flash, and apparel that carries the culture forward.
The roots of American traditional tattooing run deep. In the 19th century, sailors marked their bodies with swallows to show miles at sea, anchors to represent loyalty, daggers for danger, and pin-ups for reminders of home. Tattoos were a sailor’s diary, written in ink. Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, working out of Honolulu, helped define the style with bold outlines, saturated colors, and instantly recognizable flash sheets. Limited inks, rough machines, and harsh conditions forced artists to focus on impact and simplicity, creating a look that has outlasted generations.
Every design carried meaning. Swallows showed distance traveled, tigers and panthers represented strength, hearts and daggers told stories of love and loss. These symbols spread from sailors to bikers, rockers, and punks. By the mid-20th century, what started in ports and barracks became part of America’s counterculture. The bold look crossed into posters, album covers, and eventually fashion. Today, American traditional tattooing is not just ink on skin — it’s a visual language that continues to speak.
At Queen’s Head, we carry that torch. Our designs pull directly from tattoo flash: skulls, chains, tigers, pin-ups, and all the raw symbols of survival and independence. We print them on apparel built for the streets — soft poly-cotton blends tough enough for daily wear. Our shirts feature bold back graphics and clean chest hits, just like flash on a tattoo shop wall. We don’t chase trends. We honor tradition, reimagining it for people who wear their identity proudly.
Streetwear has always drawn from real culture — skate graphics, punk aesthetics, hip-hop design. American traditional tattooing fits perfectly because it is bold, raw, and timeless. What sailors once wore on their skin, we now put into shirts, hoodies, hats, and more.
Every piece we create pays respect to the roots of tattoo culture. From the flash sheets on a sailor’s arm to the streets you walk today, Queen’s Head American Traditional Supply keeps the ink alive — thread by thread, print by print.