Bodies of Subversion by Margot Mifflin
Bodies of Subversion was the first history of women's
tattoo art when it was released in 1997, providing a fascinating
excursion to a subculture that dates back to the nineteenth-century and
including many never-before-seen photos of tattooed women from the last
century. Newly revised and expanded, it remains the only book to
chronicle the history of both tattooed women and women tattooists. As
the primary reference source on the subject, it contains information
from the original edition, including documentation of:
•Nineteeth-century
sideshow attractions who created fantastic abduction tales in which
they claimed to have been forcibly tattooed.
•Victorian society
women who wore tattoos as custom couture, including Winston Churchill's
mother, who wore a serpent on her wrist.
•Maud Wagner, the first
known woman tattooist, who in 1904 traded a date with her tattooist
husband-to-be for an apprenticeship.
•The parallel rise of tattooing
and cosmetic surgery during the 80s when women tattooists became soul
doctors to a nation afflicted with body anxieties.
•Breast cancer
survivors of the 90s who tattoo their mastectomy scars as an
alternative to reconstructive surgery or prosthetics.
The book
contains 50 new photos and FULL COLOR images throughout including newly
discovered work by Britain's first female tattooist, Jessie Knight;
Janis Joplin's wrist tattoo; and tattooed pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber. In
addition, the updated 3rd edition boasts a sleek design and new
chapters documenting recent changes to the timeline of female
tattooing, including a section on: celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D,
the most famous tattooist, male or female, in the world; the impact of
reality shows on women's tattoo culture; and, therapeutic uses of
tattooing for women leaving gangs, prisons, or situations of domestic
abuse.
As of 2012, tattooed women outnumber men for the first time in American history, making Bodies of Subversion more relevant than ever.
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