Sutherland Macdonald


Sutherland Macdonald was a prominent English tattoo artist in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the first tattooist in Britain with an identifiable premises open to the public. Operating in a salon in London’s Jermyn Street, he is listed in the 1894 London Post office Directory and considered the first person to offer a professional tattoo service in London, although the practice was already popular in Japan and the Middle East prior to that time. Macdonald served in the British Army in the 1870s as a telegraph operator in the Royal Engineers and was in the Anglo-Zulu War. He trained George Burchett. He died at his home on 3 Guilford Avenue, Surbiton and is buried at Surbiton Cemetery.