Mrs. M. Stevens Wagner, half length., facing slightly right, arms and chest covered with tattoos.1
Maud Stevens Wagner was America’s first known professional female tattoo artist, and the world’s most tattooed woman of the time.
Like many interesting characters in the early 20th century, Maud Stevens and August “Gus” Wagner ran off to join the circus. Maud, originally an aerialist and contortionist, met Gus at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. At the time, Gus was heralded as the world’s most tattooed man. The two began dating, and Gus began teaching Maud the art of the hand poke tattoo.2
Eventually the couple married and had a daughter, who later also became a tattoo artist. After they left the circus, the Wagners traveled around the United States. They worked both as tattoo artists and tattooed attractions in vaudeville houses. They are credited with bringing tattoo artistry inland away from coastal cities and towns.3
- Los Angeles, Cal.: The Plaza Gallery, ©.1907, Library of Congress image, Prints and Photographs Division; Record pages for this image: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002724032/ and http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2006687059/ (accessed July 2012 and May 18, 2019)
- The Graves of Maud and Gus Wagner, Atlas Obscura (accessed May 18, 2019)
- Maud Wagner, Wikipedia
The photo was originally posted on Exit78 on July 21, 2012. Additional information was added May 18, 2019 and the post was republished.
