The Tattooed Lady: A History
Living in a time when it was scandalous even to show a bit of ankle, a small number of courageous women covered their bodies in tattoos and traveled the country, performing nearly nude on carnival stages. These gutsy women spun amazing stories for captive audiences about abductions and forced tattooing at the hands of savages, but little has been shared of their real lives. Though they spawned a cultural movement—almost a quarter of Americans now have tattoos—these women have largely faded...
Search in google:
An intriguing history of tattooed ladies and the birth of a counterculture.
\ From the Publisher“While a lady with a tattoo is not a big deal today, Amelia Klem Osterud's new book is a look at women who became sensations through their tattoos. Osterud, a librarian, surveys ancient tattooing practices before launching into her 19th- and 20th-century subjects, many of them performers for circuses and sideshows. Readers will learn, for example, about Lady Viola, billed as 'The Most Beautiful Tattooed Lady in the World,' who had images of six presidents tattooed on her chest, as well as Babe Ruth and Ginger Rogers.”—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel\ \ \
