Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art
The true history of tattoo as both art and profession in the West
 
There is a pervasive stereotype of tattoo culture as relating to an underworld of scoundrels, sailors, and ne’er—do—wells, yet it has existed in the West as a professionalized art practice for centuries. Drawing on extensive new research and unprecedented access to largely unpublished private archives of photographs, art, and ephemera, Matt Lodder offers a new perspective on the history of commercial tattooing in Europe and the United States, beginning even before it emerged as a recognizable profession in the mid—nineteenth century. In the process, he shows that the art of tattoo has long been both practiced and commissioned by individuals across economic, gender, and class divides; he also examines the stylistic trends that have shaped tattoo’s development as an art form over its history.
 
Lodder introduces the many artists and professionals who shaped tattoo history, including early figures like Martin Hildebrandt, the first—known professional tattoo artist in the West; prominent woman artists like Grace Bell and Jessie Knight; mid—twentieth—century icons like Sailor Jerry and Les Skuse and the Bristol Tattoo Club; and contemporary industry stars including Ed Hardy, Davy Jones, and the Leu family. Richly illustrated with rarely published images, this important book is the first to examine the history of tattoo in the west as both a serious profession and an art form.
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Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art
The true history of tattoo as both art and profession in the West
 
There is a pervasive stereotype of tattoo culture as relating to an underworld of scoundrels, sailors, and ne’er—do—wells, yet it has existed in the West as a professionalized art practice for centuries. Drawing on extensive new research and unprecedented access to largely unpublished private archives of photographs, art, and ephemera, Matt Lodder offers a new perspective on the history of commercial tattooing in Europe and the United States, beginning even before it emerged as a recognizable profession in the mid—nineteenth century. In the process, he shows that the art of tattoo has long been both practiced and commissioned by individuals across economic, gender, and class divides; he also examines the stylistic trends that have shaped tattoo’s development as an art form over its history.
 
Lodder introduces the many artists and professionals who shaped tattoo history, including early figures like Martin Hildebrandt, the first—known professional tattoo artist in the West; prominent woman artists like Grace Bell and Jessie Knight; mid—twentieth—century icons like Sailor Jerry and Les Skuse and the Bristol Tattoo Club; and contemporary industry stars including Ed Hardy, Davy Jones, and the Leu family. Richly illustrated with rarely published images, this important book is the first to examine the history of tattoo in the west as both a serious profession and an art form.
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Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art

Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art

by Matt Lodder
Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art

Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art

by Matt Lodder

Hardcover

$35.00 
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Overview

The true history of tattoo as both art and profession in the West
 
There is a pervasive stereotype of tattoo culture as relating to an underworld of scoundrels, sailors, and ne’er—do—wells, yet it has existed in the West as a professionalized art practice for centuries. Drawing on extensive new research and unprecedented access to largely unpublished private archives of photographs, art, and ephemera, Matt Lodder offers a new perspective on the history of commercial tattooing in Europe and the United States, beginning even before it emerged as a recognizable profession in the mid—nineteenth century. In the process, he shows that the art of tattoo has long been both practiced and commissioned by individuals across economic, gender, and class divides; he also examines the stylistic trends that have shaped tattoo’s development as an art form over its history.
 
Lodder introduces the many artists and professionals who shaped tattoo history, including early figures like Martin Hildebrandt, the first—known professional tattoo artist in the West; prominent woman artists like Grace Bell and Jessie Knight; mid—twentieth—century icons like Sailor Jerry and Les Skuse and the Bristol Tattoo Club; and contemporary industry stars including Ed Hardy, Davy Jones, and the Leu family. Richly illustrated with rarely published images, this important book is the first to examine the history of tattoo in the west as both a serious profession and an art form.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780300269390
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication date: 12/03/2024
Pages: 224
Product dimensions: 7.60(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Matt Lodder is a senior lecturer in art history and theory and director of American Studies at the University of Essex.
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