The Frommer’s travel guide once described the Golden Gate Bridge as “possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world.” Erected in 1937, the bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1964.

Now a symbol of a city that’s literally been to hell and back through earthquakes, wartime trials, social crises, and financial devastation, rising time and again out of the heavy fog to see another dawn over the bay.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a lasting testament of the ingenuity, willpower, and sheer ambition that built one of America’s greatest cities.

Numerous tattoo interpretations of the Golden Gate Bridge feature the bridge’s trademark “international orange” vermilion, as well as black and white ink shading.

Traditional panoramic views expand across the shoulder blades, while more personal depictions of various aspects and experiences are detailed in close-up portraiture on the arms and torso.

Regardless of the scope or layout you choose, a Golden Gate Bridge tattoo honors the many lives that were forged and lost throughout San Francisco’s poignant history, denoting the same steely strength in its wearer to rise above the heavy fog of struggle and adversity in ultimate triumph.