Customer Reviews

The Tattooed Lady: A History

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"The Tattooed Lady: A History" by first-time author Amelia Klem Ostrud is not my usual fare. But as "HistoryGuy1," I could not overlook this coffee-table book when I came across it at my local library.

Indeed, this is history, good history, a "peoples history" with solid documentation, a work not to be overlooked.

With many great photos, Osterud delivers a compelling narrative to describe the history of "tattooed ladies." Full-body-canvas tattooed ladies first appeared in the third quarter of the 19th century. They most often began as circus performers with outfits like Barnum and Bailey, the Ringling Brothers and other traveling circus shows. These early tattooed ladies "boldy went where none had gone before" in becoming a full body canvas for the curious to gaze upon.

In the era of sideshow "freaks," the tattooed lady took her place on the platform with giants, midgets, "the fat lady," "the thin man," "the bearded lady" and other freaks of nature. The "show" provided by the tattooed lady was to allow herself to be looked upon. A tattooed lady would exhibit parts of her body not normally seen by any man or any woman in public.

The artwork on the early tattooed ladies tended to mimic the artwork of tattooed men, sailor art in particular. Osterud points out that as the tattooed lady moved into the twentieth century she tended to choose artwork with a more feminine and distinctive touch, diverging from the artwork chosen by men.

Osterud provides background and insight into the mythology surrounding the tattooed ladies who "had gone the distance with body art." In direct contradiction of the myth, these famous tattooed ladies willingly and consciously chose to become tattooed ladies, defying the social mores of the era. Osterud points out that these women of mostly working class background could make a good living and achieve a level of independence that peers in their social class could never achieve.

"The Tattooed Lady" is an original work of social, economic and class history and a truly fun read.

By far the BEST tattoo book around. I gave this to my sister who loves and appreciates tattoos as a form of body art and expression. She absolutely loves it.
She said it is a great read, and amazing photos.

This bookis an absolute for any tattoo perveyer!
The background indepth knowledge of tattood womans begginnings.

heaps of old photos with eesntal information that shows woman at their best.highly reccomended 5 star great book worth getting , i highly reccomend

It was better than I expected. Truly a welcome addition to my meager library. I found this to be very entertaining and very informative - the history is really quite remarkable.

The Tattooed Lady: A History provides the first book to gather the true stories behind women who largely appeared in sideshows and encouraged a cultural tattoo movement across America. Hundreds of historical photos blend with a social history exploring tattoo origins, women's labor history and circus lives, and how their interest in body art helped foster the roots of a movement. The black and white and color vintage illustrations, poster art, and photos make for a winner for all kinds of collections; from social history to general lending libraries.

An excellent book, probably the best on the subject. As a scholar I would have preferred more detailed in-text citations, but most readers probably won't mind about that. Written by a librarian, it should come as no surprise that the archival materials are very well represented, but the author also draws usefully on her own original interviews with contemporary burlesque performers. Highly recommended for those with interests in American popular culture and performance, the history of tattooing and social movements, and gendered performance.

An indispensable text on a subject that many might think has been covered to death. Guess what: It hasn't been. In a world of too many picture books on the subject, finally, there's real meat. A true credit to the subject and, this reviewer hopes, not the last.