Denmark— Tattoo scenes & cities

Modern Danish tattooing began in the late 19th century, when sailors arriving at Nyhavn in Copenhagen showed tattoos picked up on their travels. The first real shop opened in the basement at Nyhavn 17. In 1902 a local blacksmith built a tattoo machine from a customer's description. Pre-drawn "flash" designs dominated until the 1960s.

In 1965, regulations banned tattooing anyone under 18, and tattooing the hands, feet, neck and face. In the late 1970s the scene spread to Istedgade. Around 1980 the old sailor style faded. In 2014 the Brandts museum in Odense devoted an exhibition to this story, "Tattoo – From Maritime Heroes to World Art".