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George Johnson: Tattooing in the Early 1900s
As time races towards the launch of the Canadian Electric Tattoo Scene book, July brought the project a few steps closer. The second editor is making the last sweep through the book to polish it so there is minimal blushing when it launches. With a minute of idle time on my hands, I put my focus on packaging for Volume One. Each book will come in a hand-printed box. After carving several stamps, I finally landed on one that I feel is a good fit for the box.
I’ve never cut a linograph mat, and this certainly was not the time to learn a new skill! However, I feel it adds a nice handmade element to the presentation of the book that holds our precious history. Inside the box for the first 200 copies sold, you will find a Mike Austin flash sheet that pays homage to some of our forefathers of tattooing, a certificate of authenticity that is numbered with the book and the flash sheet, along with a few other printed goodies. The next steps are to print the books and send them out for binding. Check back next month for some details on my upcoming book tour across Canada.
Here is a portion of the first profile that shows up in the book. Be sure to check back next month to learn a bit about the man who put a tattoo machine in John the Dutchman’s hands for the first time.
Professor George Johnson | 1890s – Early 1900s
Prof. G. Johnson in Seattle, Washington. Photo courtesy of Thomas Lockhart. George W. Johnson was born in 1856 and could possibly be one of the first tattooists to have maintained a shop in Canada. He began showing up in Vancouver as a working barber in the late 1880s. According to a Vancouver street directory, in 1890, George was working in the city as a barber with his business partner, Lucas A. Charles.1
During his time working in Vancouver, it’s possible that he may have come in contact with a tattooist and learned how to tattoo. In 1907, his tattoo equipment was stolen out of a hotel room in Seattle, Washington. After that incident, he relocated to Vancouver around 1908. Therefore, it’s probable that George had already been tattooing in Vancouver off and on for several years before he returned.
George W. Johnson business card given to Thomas Lockhart from Lyle Tuttle (from the Charlie Wanger Collection). When West Coast Tattoo founder Thomas Lockhart was researching George, he found documents that placed him working at various locations including the Gambrinus Saloon at 146 Water Street, Abbott Street, Woodward House, Westminster Avenue and finally at room number 4 upstairs of 60 Cordova Street West, where George offered tattooing electrically and had business cards made to that address, indicating that he planned a prolonged stay in Vancouver.
George died in 1912. There were many other transient tattooists working throughout Canada for brief periods of time.
Ned Burwell is a Canadian master tattooist, and dedicated historian, who began his career in 1993 under the mentorship of veteran tattooist Mack Bregg. Ned’s tattoo style is most recognized for his large-scale, black-and-grey tattoos featuring wildlife and spiritual imagery. Since 2008, he has been meticulously documenting the origins of Canadian body art, and is currently compiling his research and interviews into a comprehensive 3-book series that will trace Canadian tattoo culture back to 1899.
He has recently finished writing The Canadian Electric Tattooing Scene - Volume One, which will be published in the fall of 2026, and to celebrate the launch, and give you a taste of what’s to come, Ned is writing a series of articles called "Historically Speaking", and each month you can expect to see one featured in our Insider Email, and here in the Buzzz. If you want to be sure to get yourself a copy of Ned’s first book, you can pre-order it here.
