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mel-believes · 1 year ago

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TIMELINE: TATTOOS TO DATE

This is organized by date. All tattoos are linked to photos, unless they are major tattoos I want to talk about, in which case I have inserted the photos into the post. (Special thanks to thelegohouselove and their wonderful tattoo masterposts with pictures)

Dates are dates I believe they actually got the tattoos. If I can’t find a date they got the tattoo, I have indicated it with a “*” which is the first date we saw the tattoo.

Before we begin, fun facts that might blow your mind:

Harry has 56 tattoos that we know of.

Louis 38 tattoos that we know of.

Harry got 30 of his 56 tattoos between June and October 2012. That’s, on average, about 8/month.

Louis got 10 of his 37 between October and December 2012. That’s, on average, about 5/month.

The most Harry ever got on one day is 4. He got 13 in a 7 day period in October 2012. The most Louis ever got on one day was 5 on February 25 of 2013.

Artist counts for Harry: Tom Atkins (10); Liam Sparkes (10); Freddy Negrete (8); Kevin Paul (3).

Artist counts for Louis: Skunx (7); Liam Sparkes (4); Freddy Negrete (4).

Some of this stuff isn’t an exact science. Some of it is me making an educated guess, especially involving some of Harry’s tattoos in October and Louis’ “The Rogue” vs. “It is what it is” and Harry’s 3 Nails. So bear that in mind.

Over all, this should give you a good idea of just how much the tattoos seem to be an outlet during highly-closeted and stressful times (Harry’s June-October spree that gave way to the birds, ship & compass and butterfly and Louis’ October-December Haylor spree), not only in date alone, but also in the subject of the tattoo.

Thank you to Kerry, Jess & awesomeanonfriend for the cheerleading and fact-checking and Angela for her insight.

Let’s do this.

Artist Key:

FN: Freddy Negrete, Shamrock Social Club (LA)

LS: Liam Sparkes, Shangri-La Tattoo (London)

KP: Kevin Paul, Kevin Paul Tattoo (London)

TA: Tom Atkin, friend of Harry & Louis’, fiance of Lou Teasdale (London)

Skunx: Skunx Tattoo (London)

DC: Maryland tattoo shop where Zayn and Louis went

February 1, 2012:

Star outline (Harry) - FN

June 15, 2012:

Wont’ stop til we surrender (Harry) - Paul Nguyen

Harry got this tattoo about 10 days after Eleanor left the U.S. for the first time on the U.S. leg of the Up All Night tour. It was 2 days before she returned. It was at the beginning of the heightened closeting and increased Elounor pap shots.

It is also important to note that this is a modified version of the song lyric from “Sweet Disposition” by Temper Trap.

The song lyric as it is actually written/song:

We won’t stop ‘til it’s overWon’t stop to surrender

Harry made the lyrics “won’t stop 'til we surrender,” using parts of each line to make it about more than one person in a struggle against something or someone else.

The next day, on June 16th, Ed did the show where he said Harry was “taken” and answered “innit?” when a fan said “By Louis."

June 23, 2012*:

Hi (Harry) - Unknown

A for Anne on forearm (Harry) - Unknown

We did not see these two tattoos until June 23 at the Dallas show. Zayn has said in an interview that he "drew” the A on Harry’s arm. This might mean he actually tattooed Harry himself.

The “hi” tattoo appears to be in Louis’ handwriting. Just days after the tattoo appeared, Louis appeared very interested in a radio host’s tattoo, asking twice if it was in her handwriting. The interview took place in Tampa on June 29.

Harry: “what does this say?”.Boring stuff about this girl’s tattooed arm.Louis: “did you write it yourself?”.Everyone: “…”.Louis: “is that your handwriting?”.

In Miami, on July 1st, Harry revealed it said “Hi” but was very coy about it. Liam then declared it his favorite tattoo (out of 4 at the time, but it counts god damn it) and looked right at Louis.

Same, Liam.

The “hi” tattoo seems especially poignant as it came in the middle of a heavy Eleanor presence and Elounor push and Harry had Louis possibly tattoo a word on him in Louis’ own handwriting. At the very least, he got a word in Louis’ handwriting tattooed on himself. Almost like a brand.

July 27, 2012*:

I can’t change (Harry) - LS

Birdcage (Harry) - LS

I think Liam Sparkes did the “I can’t change” tattoo which we first saw July 27, 2012 because the lettering and tone is identical to these kinds of tattoos that Liam Sparkes does:

I think this is also most likely the day Harry got the birdcage tattoo, which I think is a Liam Sparkes design.

This is significant because it places Liam early in Harry’s tattoo timeline, making the stuff to come in October more important.

August 9, 2012*:

Hanger (Harry) - Unknown Artist

I think it’s possible this was done by Liam Sparkes on July 27th, as well.

The “I can’t change,” birdcage with no door and hanger are the most obvious and heavy-handed series of anti-closeting tattoos Harry has gotten to date. All 3 came between very public Elounor appearances: the France trip in early July and the Olympics on August 10th-12th.

August 13, 2012:

Padlock (Harry) - Ed Sheeran

17 Black (Harry) - KP

Pingu (Harry) - KP

Iced Gem (Harry) - KP

Ed & Harry got tattoos together the night after the closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

In this article from August 14, Kevin Paul (the tattoo artist) says:

I did a couple of bits on him last night […] They’re really personal to him - the reasons he had them done and stuff, so he doesn’t really want to announce what they are […] One was something from his childhood, and another one was something really important in his life.

I think it’s possible the “iced gem” for Gemma is the “something from his childhood.” I think the 17Black is the “something really important in his life” because I doubt a matching cartoon-themed penguin tattoo he got with Ed is important enough to be coy about. Ed did the padlock, so Kevin wasn’t talking about that one.

August 21, 2012:

Never Gonna/Dance Again (Harry) - TA

“Big” on big toe (Harry) - TA

September 4, 2012:

"Gemma” in Hebrew (Harry) - FN

Shamrock (Harry) - FN

Freddy Negrete posted a picture of Harry from the night of the 4th to his instagram the next day on September 5th.

September 8, 2012:

Green Bay Packers logo (Harry) - FN

Drama Masks/SMCL (Harry) - FN

Filled in star (Harry) - FN

You can see the same flash sheets in the mirror next to Harry’s arm as in this picture from Freddy’s instagram account.

Louis was most likely with him on this night.

Louis is in the far right side of the picture. You can see his butt, legs and shoes with his rolled jeans. Here he is carrying the shoes from around the same time:

(the shoelace is not important to this…it was the only pic I could find)

Louis also tweeted “ouch :(” on this night:

After this trip, Freddy Negrete responded to a fan via instagram that Harry wanted “a big [tattoo]” on his chest when he was in LA again.

Late September 2012:

2 Cross with K & M (Harry) - LS

Love Banner (Harry) - LS

These were done in late September, I think. It was after the drama masks but before the “Kiss You” video shoot which was late October.

If Harry did, in fact, have a large chest piece in mind in early September, it’s possible he may have been thinking of the birds by this point. It then might make sense that he would get the “Love” banner and then cover it up so soon afterwards. It could have been a part of his design. This is a Liam Sparkes design that includes birds placed similarly to Harry’s with banners and the words “true” and “love” beneath:

October 12, 2012:

Aquarius lines (Harry) - Dublin

99p (Harry) - Dublin

Key/Fish skeleton/arrow? (Harry) - Dublin

Things I can/Things I can’t (Harry) - Dublin

Screws on ankles (Louis) - Dublin

October 15, 2012:

Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon Album Cover Art (Harry) - Skunx

Stickman on skateboard (Louis) - Skunx

Quote marks (Louis) - Skunx

Far Away (Louis) - Skunx

Harry had the Pink Floyd tattoo by November 8, but did not get in L.A. that day. He did wear a Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon shirt on October 18, so I think it’s quite possible he got that tattoo on the 14th, as it was professionally done (I think).

This photo was released/found on October 17th, which was after Louis got his tattoo. He appears to be wearing Harry’s shirt. Kevin Paul then retweeted an article about Louis getting the tattoo, seemingly implying that he was the artist. But he was not, as that is not his shop. His shop has wood floors, while Louis appears to be in a chair at Skunx.

We first saw Louis’ stick man tattoo on October 16th at a radio interview, but on October 15th, Louis tweeted they were on a video shoot at 1:30 PM (I believe it was “Little Things”), so I think it’s most likely he got the tattoo on the morning of the 15th. You can see in this gif from the video shoot he has that arm wrapped as one would when they just got a tattoo. You do not keep the wrapping on for long, so it was most likely on the way to the shoot.

We first saw the quotation marks on October 22nd and the “Far Away.” on October 29th (though it was rumored he had this one as early as October 22nd as well), but I think he definitely got them before then, so the 14th seems most likely given their schedule that week. I believe the “Kiss You” video was shot October 18-19th in London, and Louis had all 3 tattoos and Harry had all 9 new ones in the video. So my best guess is October 14th for all of them, but definitely in the window of October 13-17. (Sidenote: Shooting these videos so close together makes their surprise at “Little Things” being the next single off the album a little clearer. Perhaps “Kiss You” was meant to be the next one but plans were changed.) P.S. If Louis did get the stickman on the 15th and wore Harry’s shirt, Harry then wore it on the 16th to a radio interview, but they totally don’t live together anymore.

October 17, 2012:

3 days after Louis began getting tattoos in earnest, Harry posted this photo of a couple’s tattoo to his instagram and said “Siiiiiick."

It is most likely that Harry found this picture by googling "best couple tattoos” where he found this slideshow of 75 couple’s tattoo pictures. This photo is 62 of 75 and is found on the 5th page. The same day, during a radio interview, Louis indicated the “it is what it is” and butterfly tattoo combo may have already been in the works as he looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows when someone said the phrase “It is what it is." Video here at 7:22.

Louis made a joke during Haylor by saying "it is what it is” which Harry found hilarious in December 2012:

Maybe the butterfly/“it is what is is combo” was the first of many “couple’s tattoos” plans they’ve had, but the last executed.

October 18, 2012*:

LDN (Harry) -TA

NY (Harry) - TA

LA (Harry) - TA

Home Made (Harry) - TA

Guitar (Harry) - Unknown

Can I stay? (Harry) - Unknown

Might as well… (Harry) - Unknown

Black heart (Harry) - Unknown

November 8, 2012:

Birds (Harry) - FN

November 9, 2012:

4 Birds (Louis) - FN

Oops! (Louis) - FN

December 6, 2012:

Camera (Louis) - NYC

Stereo heart (Louis) - NYC

December 19, 2012:

Ship (Harry) - FN

Compass (Louis) - FN

Technically, they got these tattoos about 18 hours apart. Harry very late the 18th/early morning of the 19th and Louis the night of the 19th. So I’m counting both as the 19th. I think we all know why these are important, and if not, please see this tag.

January 23, 2013:

Handshake (Harry) - LS

Butterfly (Harry) - LS

Large bird on arm (Louis) - LS

Paper plane (Louis) - LS

78 (Louis) -LS I’m putting this here as we may have seen it in Japan through his shirt. Recently, Roxy and Shay figured out he had it at the wax figure sitting which was in January or February based on Harry’s tattoos. I think it was January 23rd, because I think Liam did it based on style and it would have looked very fresh in the wax figure footage if he got it right before the tour started, which it does not. Therefore, I think it was the 23rd.

On January 23, Harry was outside Shangri-La tattoo parlour in London getting money from an ATM. This was posted to Twitter:

Then, the 24th, we saw Louis’ bird for the first time:

This was just 2 days after the got back from Japan and just 2 weeks after the end of Haylor. I think it’s clear from Louis’ references to “it is what it is” as early as October that the butterfly and “it is what it is” tattoos were planned for several months. But to start the process so soon after Haylor and the loveliness that was Japan seems especially poignant. They made it through the darkest months together. The tattoos almost seem like a brand.

February 19, 2013:

February 23, 2013*:

3 nails (Harry) - LS

Harry had the 3 nails by February 23 (the first day of the Take Me Home tour in the UK). I think he got it sometime during the week of the Brits and the first show in London.

February 25, 2013:

Cup of tea (Louis) - Skunx

Globe (Louis) - Skunx

Horseshoe (Louis) - Skunx

Louis and Liam got tattoos at Skunx in London before going to Glasgow. Louis posted the “cup of tea” to instagram that day, but we saw the others at the show the next day.

March 23, 2013*:

“G” for Gemma on shoulder (Harry) - Unknown

“A” for Anne on shoulder (Harry) - Unknown

March 25, 2013:

The Rogue (Louis) - LS

“It is what it is” (Louis) - LS

April 24, 2013:

Stag (Louis) - AKA London (Michele Servadio)

Modified stereo heart (Louis) - AKA London (Michele Servadio)

5 lines (Louis) - AKA London (Michele Servadio)

AKA London is affiliated with Liam Sparkes. I’m not sure if he tattooed Louis there himself, or if someone else did his design for him, but the stag and modified stereo heart designs are Liam Sparkes, I believe.

June 24, 2013:

Bomb (Louis) - DC

Lit match (Louis) - DC

Spider web (Louis) - DC

Rope/Infinity symbol (Louis) - DC

July 1, 2013:

Cross on hand (Harry) - NYC

August 9, 2013:

Tic-Tac-Toe board (Louis) - FN

Band with card suites (Louis) - FN

Bus 1 (Louis) - FN

Louis went to the tattoo parlor very late Friday night/very early Saturday morning (August 9/10). He went with Eleanor, Zayn, Liam, Liam’s mother and several other people. Zayn also has the “Bus 1” tattoo (as does their bus driver). It is interesting to note that the heart on the band may be turned toward Louis intentionally as the club and spade face outward. The diamond makes it difficult to tell.

September 10, 2013*:

Rose Tattoo (Harry) - Unknown L.A.

October 11, 2013:

Pacman Tattoo (Louis) - Unknown Auckland, New Zealand

October 26, 2013*:

Spider web (Louis) - Unknown

January 11, 2014*:

Anchor (Harry) - Unknown L.A.

The anchor is yet another tattoo from this website, which is nothing definitive but something to file away because wow, that’s a lot of tattoos coming from the same website that Harry & Louis both have. Most anchor tattoos are done with a rope, but Harry’s doesn’t have a rope. Guess who has a rope. In the same mirrored position on the opposite wrist. Yes. This is real life.

(sample rope and anchor tattoos)

To add insult to injury, the first time we saw Louis in England in 2014 was miraculously the same day we first saw Harry with the anchor tattoo (there is cause to believe Louis was in LA the previous week).

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, Louis showed up in England wearing a shirt with a giant anchor on it, much like when he wore the “it is what it is” shirt after he got that tattoo in 2013 but before we could tell what the tattoo said.

In short, Louis Tomlinson is a Harry Styles-loving troll.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHY.

January 16, 2014*:

Book (Harry) - Unknown L.A.

February 18, 2014:

Anatomical heart (Harry) - LS

Laurels (Harry) - LS

I put the laurels here on the same day as the anatomical heart, because we know Harry was at Liam’s shop that day and got the heart. Liam recently posted this image on his instagram of laurels he did and they are very similar to Harry’s design, as well. I think it’s most likely Harry got them this day, as well.

March 8, 2014:

Arrow (Louis) - FN

So a little over 2 weeks after Harry got the heart, Louis got an arrow. Much like this concept except spread over 2 people.

May 8, 2014:

Brasil! (Harry) - Unknown (Brazil)

August 15, 2014:

Skull & Crossbones (Louis) - East River Tattoo (NYC)

September 7, 2014*:

Smiley face on left thigh (Louis) - Unknown

November 10, 2014:

Mermaid (Harry) - LS

You Booze, You Lose & Liquor Bottle (Harry) - LS

November 25, 2014:

Dagger (Louis) - Bondi Ink

Smiley Face on wrist (Louis) - Bondi Ink

Given a Chance (Louis) - Bondi Ink

After the ARIA Awards, Louis (and Zayn) went to Bondi Ink in Sydney where Louis goot 2 new tattoos (picture). The dagger is in the exact same place as Harry’s rose on the opposite arm. It is also from this website and is something we have been talking about happening for over a year.

A little over 2 weeks after the bullshit 2.0 tweets, Louis went and got the dagger tattoo. It’s significance cannot be overstated.

April 17, 2015*

Tiger (Harry) - Unknown

Fans first saw the tattoo in Australia on the On the Road Again Tour in February 2015, but it’s possible he’s had it since July 2014. Harry confirmed it was a tiger on the Radio 1 Breakfast interview filmed on 12 November 2015.

December 4, 2015

“Late, Late” (Harry) - Boo Boo Negrete (FN)

Harry got the words “late, late” on his arm by the heart after playing (and losing) a game on the James Corden show.

December 19, 2015

28 (Louis) - Nick Colella (Great Lakes Tattoo)

Ass tattoo (Louis) - Nick Colella (Great Lakes Tattoo)

Beer Mug (Louis) - Nick Colella (Great Lakes Tattoo)

Louis was in Chicago to be seen with and near Danielle Campbell’s family. In the middle of a hilarious fan service tour of the greater Chicagoland area, Louis went to Great Lakes Tattoo near Noble Square and got “several” tattoos according to the artist and fans he later met. As we see the tattoos and confirm the location and design, I’ll update this portion of the timeline.

December 29, 2015*

Eagle (Harry) - Unknown UK

Sometime between 7 December 2015 and 23 December 2015, Harry got the eagle tattoo, covering the lone tattoo on his right arm: “Things I Can.”

The timing appears symbolic as they group heads into their much anticipated break, with many fans speculating they are leaving Syco Music and modes! management. Eagle tattoos are often symbols of freedom.

January 31, 2017*

Arlo & Jackson (Harry) - Unknown

Harry was seen with 2 new tattoos in LA, but a stalker fan from the UK knew what the “Arlo” tattoo said before anyone saw it, so it is presumed he got both tattoos sometime while in the UK in late 2016 or early 2017.

On April 20, 2017, Harry said on the Graham Norton show the “Jackson” tattoo was for his godson, though it is unknown who the child or parents are.

March 25, 2017*

Insect & “R” (Harry) - Unknown

Is it a bee? Is it a fly? Is it some ambiguous insect metaphor he’ll wax poetic about at a later date? Or is it just a “fat bug.” The world may never know for sure.

Turns out, IT A BEE.

In a radio interview Harry did with the BBC 1 Breakfast Show on 7 April 2017, Harry was asked about the tattoo but declined to comment, instead deflecting to his “Jackson” tattoo. All he had to say was “It’s a fly,” but he didn’t.

The antennae of flies are very close together and short as seen here:

The antennae of bees are set further apart and longer, as seen here:

Harry’s tattoo clearly has the widely set attenae of bees:

So we can conclude Harry either doesn’t know what bees look like and meant to get a fly tattoo but - darn the bad luck - got a bee tattoo, or he INTENTIONALLY GOT A BEE TATTOO.

FURTHERMORE, this is a guy who has a “thigh-ger” tatoo (tiger on his thigh) and a butterfly on his stomach and “big” on his big toe and he just got a bee on his ARM, at essentially the same time Steve Aoki referred to Louis’ dedicated fans as an “army of bees.”

So basically, when asked, Harry wouldn’t comment on it, it anatomically appears to be a bee, Steve called Louis’ fans an ‘army of bees’, and then Harry got a tattoo of what appears to be a bee on his arm.

11 May 2017*

Cross with B on chest - Unknown

27 Jul 2018

X on arm - Robbie Williams

Unknown

Screws on ankles (Harry) - We first heard about them October 12th when Louis and Liam got matching screws. I think Zayn did them in a hotel room.

Triangle ankle tattoo (Louis) - Possibly done in Dublin or in London at Skunx.

Like I said, this isn’t an exact science. I’ve tried to figure out when they actually got the tattoos vs. when we first saw if it was at all possible. Some of it may be off by a day or a few days, but these are pretty good ballpark guesses. Let me know if there’s anything glaringly wrong and I will be happy to fix it.

I’ll update this as long as they continue to get tattoos.

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