The Tattooed Lady: A History

I gave this as a gift to a tattoo artist and he loved it! Has many pictures but you should know the picture quality is only so so because these are pictures from the early 1900's so they were not great to begin with. The picture quality does not take away from how interesting the pictures and stories about the tattooed women from the past are. Lots of circus pictures of course. Great Purchase.

So many great photos and a very interesting history! I also really enjoyed the fact that there was some body size diversity. Seeing women with a similar body to me (albeit from 100 years ago) made me feel even more badass as I get more and more tattoos over time. I will edit this review as I actually didn't finish reading it yet, you know them lockdown depression feels.

Amelia Klem Osterud's "The Tattooed Lady" (second edition, 2009) presents a fascinating look at the women who dared to have a good portion of their bodies tattooed from the 1880s through to our own time. With lots of photographs to document their lives and their tattoos, this book offers readers a full spectrum of women who lived outside the boundaries of female behavioral expectation. Often working at "freak shows," circuses, and "dime museums" this book offers stories of tattooed women who went beyond being oddities to living works of art. This well-organized and researched book provides in-depth coverage on women who made history by using their bodies for artful purpose. Includes excellent sources for further reading. Highly recommended for those interested in the art of tattoo, women's history, and American social and cultural history.

My tatooed, historian daughter loved the book. She'd never seen anything on the topic, and started reading it immediately.

Beautiful pictures

A+

Gorgeous book

Great history!

Content interesting just a little difficult reading text due to typographics