Needle work

King Harold had a girl's name imprinted on his chest, while Churchill and his mother had a snake and an anchor between them, all very Oedipal.

Taking Captain Cook's voyages to Tahiti as its starting point, Skin Deep traces the history of tattooing through its use among seamen in the 19th and 20th centuries to its fashionable status in mainstream society today and inspiring artists such as Norman Rockwell. Divided into three sections, the initial focus is on Europeans' encounters with tattooing in the Pacific and the relevance to the art in Polynesian societies. The second section examines the way in which tattooing became popular among merchant seamen, Royal Navy sailors and eventually with groups 'on the fringes of society'.

It's the final section that will have parents of teenagers balking - thanks to Beckham, Sporty Spice et al, tattooing is more fashionable these days than what Kate Moss was wearing last week - even the original styles from the Pacific have made a comeback. But beware, a fluttering lovebird cheekily in place on the right buttock may end its days resembling some desolate dodo flapping round one's ankles - as a trophy gives way to atrophy.

Skin Deep, from Fri 22 Mar, National Maritime Museum, Park Row, SE10 (020-8858 4422)