If eastern tattooing has the lotus then western tattooing has the rose.

The pinnacle of classic flower tattoos roses have an almost endless list of meanings; romance, love, sorrow, life, death etc. Now when it comes to rose tattoos you can go one of two ways, old school or contemporary!
Old school rose tattoos cover the classic simple and bold rose design, where as contemporary rose tattoos can be anything from dotwork to watercolor and even abstract! The choice between the styles can be a difficult one as at the end of the day classic or modern rose tattoos both make a great piece of ink... but can you really beat a traditional rose tattoo!! They're simple, bold and a timeless classic in western tattooing!! Here are 20 of the best traditional rose tattoos to show you why they are a classic and why you should get one!!