2 posts tagged “the tattooed lady: a history”
The book is now up on Speck's website:
http://www.speckpress.com/books/tattooed_lady.html
With a nice write up:
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 into history.
The first book of its kind, 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
social history explores tattoo origins, women’s history, and circus
lore. A fascinating read, The Tattooed Lady pays tribute to a group of unique and amazing women whose legacy lives on.
In the meantime, I continue to proof the proofs! And it looks amazing...
It's due out in Nov. 2009 from Speck Press (part of Fulcrum) and is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com!
Check it out!
The cover is beautiful. Artoria Gibbons (pictured on the cover) is a lovely lady, and the surrounding design is amazing. I love it.
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 into history.
The first book of its kind, 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 social history explores tattoo origins, women's history, and circus lore. A fascinating read, The Tattooed Lady pays tribute to a group of unique and amazing women whose legacy lives on.
Amelia Klem Osterud is a tattooed academic librarian from Wisconsin. She has a master's degree in history from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and writes and lectures on the subject. This is her first book. Visit her author blog at www.tattooedladyhistory.vox.com
