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 captivated 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 into history. The Tattooed Lady uncovers the true stories behind these women, bringing them out of the sideshow realm and into their working class realities. Combining thorough research with more than a hundred historical photos, this updated second edition explores tattoo origins, women's history, circus lore, and includes even more personal and professional details from modern tattooed ladies. A fascinating read, The Tattooed Lady pays tribute to a group of unique and amazing women whose legacy lives on.

Joshua Seigl, a celebrated but reclusive author, is forced for reasons of failing health to surrender his much-prized bachelor's independence. Advertising for an assistant, he unwittingly embarks upon the most dangerous adventure of his privileged life. Alma Busch, a sensuous, physically attractive young woman with bizarre tattoos covering much of her body, stirs in Seigl a complex of emotions: pity? desire? responsibility? guilt? Unaware of her painful past and her troubled personality, Seigl hires her as his assistant. As the novel alternates between Seigl's and Alma's points of view, the naïve altruism of the one and the virulent anti-Semitism of the other clash in a tragedy of thwarted erotic desire. With her masterful balance of dark suspense and surprising tenderness, Joyce Carol Oates probes the contemporary tragedy of ethnic hatred and challenges our accepted limits of desire. The Tattooed Girl may be her most controversial novel.

Warned that Emma may be in danger from whoever gave her the mysterious tattoos, Lucy goes in search of Emma's real identity, a quest that leads Lucy to a confrontation with the demons haunting her past.".

"Based on historical records, including the letters and diaries of Oatman's friends and relatives, The Blue Tattoo is the first book to examine her life from her childhood in Illinois including the massacre, her captivity, and her return to white society - to her later years as a wealthy banker's wife in Texas."--BOOK JACKET.

"In this provocative work full of intriguing female characters from tattoo history, Margot Mifflin makes a persuasive case for the tattooed woman as an emblem of female self-expression." -Susan Faludi Bodies of Subversion is the first history of women's tattoo art, providing a fascinating excursion to a subculture that dates back into the nineteenth-century and includes many never-before-seen photos of tattooed women from the last century. Author Margot Mifflin notes that women's interest in tattoos surged in the suffragist 20s and the feminist 70s. She chronicles: * Breast cancer survivors of the 90s who tattoo their mastectomy scars as an alternative to reconstructive surgery or prosthetics. * The parallel rise of tattooing and cosmetic surgery during the 80s when women tattooists became soul doctors to a nation afflicted with body anxieties. * Maud Wagner, the first known woman tattooist, who in 1904 traded a date with her tattooist husband-to-be for an apprenticeship. * Victorian society women who wore tattoos as custom couture, including Winston Churchill's mother, who wore a serpent on her wrist. * Nineteeth-century sideshow attractions who created fantastic abduction tales in which they claimed to have been forcibly tattooed. "In Bodies of Subversion, Margot Mifflin insightfully chronicles the saga of skin as signage. Through compelling anecdotes and cleverly astute analysis, she shows and tells us new histories about women, tattoos, public pictures, and private parts. It's an indelible account of an indelible piece of cultural history." -Barbara Kruger, artist

"Once associated with gang members, criminals, and sailors, tattoos are now mainstream. An estimated twenty percent of all adults have at east one, and women are increasingly getting tattoos and are now more likely than men to have one. But many of the tattoos that women get are gender-appropriate: they are cute, small, and can be easily hidden. A small dolphin on the ankle, a black line on the lower back, a flower on the hip, and a child's name on the shoulder blade are among the popular choices. But what about women who are heavily tattooed? Why would a woman get "sleeves"? And why do some collect larger-scale tattoos on publicly visible skin, of imagery not typically considered feminine or cute, like skulls, zombies, snakes, or dragons? Drawing on five years of ethnographic research and interviews with more than seventy heavily tattoed women, 'Covered in Ink' provides insight into the increasingly visible subculture of tattoed women. Author Beverly Yuen Thompson spent time in tattoo parlors and at tattoo conventions in order to further understand women's love of ink and their imagery choices as well as their struggle with gender norms, employment discrimination, and family rejection. Still, many of these women feel empowered by their tattoes and believe they are creating a space for self-expression that also presents a positive body image. 'Covered in Ink' investigates this complicated subculture and finds out the many meanings of the love of ink"--Page 4 of cover.

Megan Massacre, one of the most popular tattoo artists and reality TV stars with starring roles in TLC's NY Ink and America's Worst Tattoos, brings her wildly popular art style to a coloring book. Tattoo artist Megan Massacre invites adult coloring book fans into her whimsical world of sugar skulls, sailing ships, mermaids, owls, and more. Now you can add your own bold, vibrant colors to her signature edgy and artistic tattoo designs--and tear each perforated page out for display!