在埃德·哈迪（Ed Hardy）和水手杰里（Sailor Jerry）之前，有几个人被认为是美国纹身的先驱：八月“Cap” 科尔曼 和 Franklin Paul Rogers. When you trace the history of tattooing, a good chunk of the great flash icons can be linked directly back to these American masters.
八月“Capt.” 科尔曼 1884年出生于俄亥俄州辛辛那提附近。虽然 科尔曼 claimed his father was also a tattooist, his name has not surfaced as part of tattoo history (Paul Rogers was always a bit skeptical about that story). It is well known that 科尔曼 settled in Norfolk, Virginia around 1918 和 quickly became a living legend in the tattoo business.
It is unclear who did 科尔曼’s tattooing but some of it was probably done by hand. Many of 科尔曼’他在诺福克（Norfolk）商店橱窗里陈列的小雕像上可以看到纹身，包括大鹰，国旗胸甲，肚子上的船，膝盖上的太阳图案和精美的袜子设计。这个雕像现在是水手的一部分’的博物馆收藏在弗吉尼亚州纽波特纽斯。
When 科尔曼 set up his shop on East Main Street in Norfolk, it was one of the more “colorful” streets in town. Norfolk was a major seaport at this time with ships from around the world arriving 和 departing daily. The street was lined with tattoo shops with plenty of sailors to fill them. 科尔曼’商店位于古老的雄伟剧院附近，该剧院后来被称为欢乐剧院，是水手经常光顾的脱衣舞和滑稽表演之家。
科尔曼’的名片说，他提供封面工作，包括针，设计，颜色，模板和机器等耗材，但他从事耗材业务的方法很低调。正如他精心制作的双面名片所示，他似乎非常确定自己在纹身界的地位。卡片上显示了他的两张照片，并提及所有在他身上精选文章的杂志。他没有’甚至认为有必要提及他的地址，并简单地说：“Look for 科尔曼’在大街上的位置“.
1950年6月，诺福克’s City Council ruled tattooing illegal, 科尔曼 和 many other tattooists were forced out of the city. Many of the Norfolk tattooists, including 格里姆肖 和 科尔曼，横渡伊丽莎白河，并在弗吉尼亚州朴茨茅斯开设了商店。
科尔曼’的尸体在 伊丽莎白河 near his home on October 25, 1973. Authorities suspected that he slipped 和 fell into the river. 科尔曼 invested his tattooing money wisely in the stock market. At the time of his death he had accumulated a small fortune, which he generously left to several local charities.
