The bald eagle has been a figure of freedom in the United States since it was adopted in 1789. (Lucky for us, George Washington was President back then.
(If Benjamin Franklin were more than a public official, we would have had the turkey as our symbol!). Not only is the Eagle Tattoo endangered, but also a new species of rebel picked up the Eagle Tattoo as its figurehead – the motorcyclist. Specifically, Harley-Davidson picked up the figure of the Eagle Tattoo – wings outstretched, with a banner wrapped around the bird stating, “Live to Ride, Ride to Live.”
Once motorcyclists caught on to the love of the Harley, it was not very long before Eagle Tattoo of the logo began to show up on the avid motorcycle community. Soon, the icon of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of the open road had men and women both looking to exonerate their feelings with a Eagle Tattoo bearing the eagle. I have seen some incredible Eagle Tattoo in the past, but nothing like one in particular back in 1998. I was in Chicago at the Motorcycle Show at McCormick Place. Within the show, there were Eagle Tattoo booths not only displaying past Eagle Tattoo in books, but also upon the artists themselves.
One particular young woman caught my attention – mostly because she wore a tube top as she Eagle Tattoo a client.
The tube top was not what caught my attention, but rather the skin that showed from the lack of clothes. Her back, arms, stomach, neck – all had Eagle Tattoo. Upon her back and covering the entire upper half of it, was the most detailed, finely shaded eagle I had ever seen.