- Tattoos have always been
a little controversial. But what if I told you tramp stamps used to be a source of magic, tattoos created a whole
class of criminals in Japan, and did you know back
in America's early days, the best way to prove your patriotism was to get a big fat tattoo
of George Washington? Hot. So what do tattoos say about us and why are we so obsessed with them? (thunder booming)
(playful dark music) (crow cawing) (thunder booming)
Hi, friends! I hope you're having
a wonderful day today. My name is Bailey Sarian and I'd like to welcome you
to my podcast, "Dark History." Now, if you're new here, this is a chance to tell
the story like it is and to share the history of stuff that we would never think about. So all you have to do is sit back, relax, and just let me ramble and tell you all about that
hot, juicy history goss. I remember the first
time I ever saw a tattoo. I do, I remember this. My kindergarten teacher, actually not the teacher,
but the teacher's assistant, the teacher's first mate. I forgot what her title
was, but her name was Laura. Hey, Laur, Laura Laur. Well, Miss Laura always came to class with an iced coffee in hand. She also had box dyed hair
that was always changing. And one day as she was
passing out crayons, she, like, bent over to
pick up one of the crayons, and boof! There it was. It was a butterfly on her lower back. Ooh, she got some secrets! Anyone with a butterfly tattoo on their lower back has secrets. You've got them. And then of course, as I got older, I heard the term tramp stamp, which I'm sure we can all agree here is a very slut-shamey term. (trombone blats)
Thank you so much. But where did this all start? Have tattoos always had this bad rep? I needed answers. Now, if you've ever seen me before, you could say that I've definitely dabbled in the world of tattoos. My skin at this point is,
I consider it a museum. It's a work of art. I'm an art collector. But I had no idea when I was
first starting to get tattooed that what I was doing was
actually an ancient tradition. And the tramp stamp, ugh, perhaps the most ancient and beautiful tradition of them all. Buckle up, ladies and germs, because today's episode
we are getting into the nitty, the gritty, the beautiful, and devastating history of tattoos. (tattoo needle buzzing) Joan has gotten some work done. If you're watching this over on YouTube, she is covered in, would you
call this a sleeve, Joan? (Joan cawing) I would call this a sleeve. I have one too. She also started smoking. Most of the stereotypes is that people who get tattoos smoke. And where that might be true, Joan, it's kind of rude, 'cause I quit and I want that (tattoo needle
buzzing) cigarette Joan! (Joan cawing) Now, if you don't know, tattoos have been around
for thousands of years, and they have been found
in unexpected places, on unexpected people, and for unexpected reasons. I'm talking from all over the body to small little finger tattoos. I mean, these are old as shit. Thigh tattoos, also ancient. The tramp stamp, as I've mentioned, tale as old as time. And you're probably
wondering, "Okay, Bailey, but how do we actually know this?" Well, for starters, it's because archeologists found a 5,000-year-old mummy with tattoos. This mummy, he was built
different, literally. his name was Otzi. Otzi was an iceman who
died over 5,000 years ago up in the Italian Alps. And when he was discovered
about 30 years ago, he was found, like,
face down on a mountain. (laughs) Which honestly I was like, ah, me! Literally, I did a hike back in like 2019. That was the last time I did a hike, because I just fell face down
in the dirt and I gave up. Where was I going with that? I'm not sure. But what I'm getting at
is it was a huge moment for the scientific community. Otzi, not my hike. So Otzi's body was accidentally mummified. In other words, it was
preserved almost perfectly by the snow and ice that covered him quickly after he died. Now, because of this, we know a lot about him, maybe a little too much,
but I kind of love it. We also know that he was
left-handed, had cavities, and was 46 when he died
and had 61 tattoos. This little detail in particular
blew archeologists away, because before the Otzi was found, they had never found
evidence of any tattoos in this time period when Otzi was alive. Now, there was something
unusual about Otzi's tattoos. The scientists, they reasoned that what they were actually
seeing was ancient medicine. Otzi had these tattoos on his
body specifically in places where he had wear and tear
on his joints and bones. And this led scientists to the conclusion that Otzi was using his
tattoos for healing purposes. Basically, he would cut into the area that was bothering him and rub the charcoal into
the wound, creating a tattoo. This was a practice that
was believed to help heal. I mean, they had to get creative, right? I'm wondering if it worked actually. Obviously. These tattoos weren't too fancy though. I mean, they were all like
little lines, sometimes crosses. But what's especially crazy is that quite a few of Otzi's tattoos are in the same places as modern-day acupuncture pressure points. So you know when you go get acupuncture and they put all those needles in you and they put 'em in certain spots. So maybe, you know, they did this to give Otzi some relief with the charcoal in the wound. That's what, yeah, sounds about right. For me personally, I am just like Otzi. Look, I also use tattoos for healing. Usually after a breakup or something major in my life happens, I tend to get a new tattoo, I don't know why. But I get it, Otzi, I'm there with you. I consider it like, kind
of like reclaiming my body, you know what I mean? Starting a new chapter. It's just therapeutic. And people thousands of years ago apparently believed that too. Yeah, it wasn't just Otzi either. (mysterious music) I'm happy to partner with Zocdoc
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.com/dark history, zocdoc.com/dark history. (mysterious music) We also know that ancient Egyptians between 4000 and 3500 BC
were also getting tattoos. But, unlike other cultures, it looks like in Egypt
tattoos were only for women. Which, love. I freaking love Egypt. They're the shit. And apparently, the most important tattoo an ancient Egyptian woman could have was a tramp stamp on her lower back. It was believed that having a tattoo there would actually protect
you during childbirth. And it kind of makes sense that they'd want some kind of protection, because throughout history, childbirth has been extremely
dangerous and even deadly. Still to this day, right? So it's like, yeah. So these ancient Egyptian women would pray to the goddess
of fertility, Hathor, and really do whatever they could to, like, have her
protection on the big day. But there were some important rules associated with these
powerful tramp stamps. It is believed that these tattoos were only, quote unquote,
"activated" or worked correctly if all of the women involved in the birth, I'm talking like the midwives and any priestesses who were there, also had the same tattoo. Another popular tattoo that Egyptian women would
get if they were expecting looked almost like a belt made up of dots. This was supposed to bring good luck and protect the child during pregnancy. It was believed that these
would act like a net, like expanding with the stomach
during those nine months and keep any dark magic, like evil spirits or demons
from entering the womb. So slut shaming is also
a tale as old as time, because up until pretty recently, tattoos were totally
dismissed by historians. One archeologist named Louis
Keimer wrote a book in 1948 all about tattooing in ancient Egypt, and in it said that all tattooed
women in Egypt were quote, "prostitutes of dubious morality." So yes, he claimed all
tattooed women in ancient Egypt were sex workers. And because of that, he
called them morally dubious, which is, you know, pretty much saying that this person has questionable morals. Louis' theory was that these tattoos were given to prostitutes who had sexually transmitted infections, kind of like a warning label. You know, like, hey, this
person has crabs, just FYI. So this was an interesting theory, but everyone rolled with it because it seemed like the
most logical explanation, until infrared imaging came along. Now, infrared imaging is an amazing tool scientists developed fairly recently that basically shows way more
detail than the naked eye, like evidence of tattoos
on shriveled up mummy skin and hieroglyphics on tombs. And armed with this imaging technique, scientists figured out that
Louis was freaking wrong. Tattoos weren't for
prostitutes with STIs at all. In fact, tons of high ranking women in ancient times had tattoos, especially in ancient Egypt. Many of the tattooed female mummies that early archeologists found were buried at Deir el-Bahari, which was an area specifically
for royal and elite burials. Amunet, a mummified high priestess who was discovered in 1891, was given a very prestigious
burial and had tattoos, which blows old Louis'
theory out of the water. The funny thing is, when they first discovered Amunet's body, those dusty old archeologists
wrote her off as quote, "probably a royal concubine,"
because of her tattoos. They honestly probably gave her that name because they couldn't believe that, like, a woman could have so
much power and whatnot. Dammit. Historians have also found there is an important
connection between sexuality and the tattoos they
found on Egyptian women. Many of their tombs have included ceramic
figurines with matching tattoos and belts made of cowrie shells, which are huge symbol of
femininity in ancient Egypt. Scholars think it's likely that these figurines were
included in the tombs in order for the mummified women to continue her sex life in the afterlife. And yeah, just because
you're dead doesn't mean you can't (beep) old men in the (beep) and suck their (beep)
and (beep) and (beep) and (beep) in their mouth and (beep) and then, I don't know. (laughs) And just like today, Egyptian women had
their own tattoo trends. It was common for musicians and dancers to get tattoos of the goddess
Bes on their thighs and chest, since she was the protector
of women, homes, and children. As far as tattoo methods go, the Egyptians did something pretty similar to the modern-day stick and poke. They used a wooden handle with seven sharp needles on the end. They would punch these
needles into the skin to create the pattern and rub the ink over the skin at the end so it could absorb into those holes in whatever shape you chose. To help heal the tattoo, the ancient Egyptian women would rub human breast
milk over their new tattoo, which actually kind of
makes a lot of sense. Have you ever put a milk over a sunburn? It helps, like, your
sunburn heal a lot faster. And when you put it over a tattoo, hmm, I'm gonna try this. Anybody have some breast
milk I can borrow? Or just have actually. Let me know. From start to finish, it seems like the whole tattoo
process in ancient Egypt pretty much revolved around childbirth, which is pretty dang cool, because it takes on a
whole different meaning in other parts of the world. I mean, especially in ancient Japan. Now, I have to say, I'm very
excited to talk about this, because one time I went to Japan, this was years ago, and I fell in love. Japan is so cool. The culture, in Tokyo, 'cause I went to Tokyo. So, I mean, it's next level. The energy, the people, the food. It was so clean there. Wow! I loved it. It was amazing, I wanna go back, I can't. I was only there for like three days. Not enough time, would not recommend. And there's something else
they've been doing right for thousands of years, tattoos. And their contribution to
the history of tattooing is very controversial. It all starts during a time
called the Jomon period from around 10,000 BC to 300 BC. Archeologists found similar clay figurines dating back to this period in Japan, and they were pretty similar to the ones I just mentioned in Egypt. They had intricate decorations on them, which turned out to be tattoos! The Japanese have a
beautiful word for tattoos. They called them irezumi. And these Japanese irezumi
have been associated with so many different
meanings over the years. Some men would get tattoos for protection, especially against, like, large fish, the big players in charge. As time goes by, Japanese tattoos become more about a sign of your rank in society, like what tribe you're from
and how important you are. But then in 1600 AD in Japan's Edo period, something happens that changes the course of tattoo history forever. At this time, a powerful
military government ran the country from a town
known as Edo, which now Tokyo. This was a pretty iconic time in Japan. I mean, the arts were flourishing, fashion was colorful,
the economy was booming, and people started to flock to cities. The population of Edo grew
to over one million people, which made it one of the biggest cities in the world at that time. Before the Edo period, a common punishment for crimes was amputation of the
nose, fingers, and ears. But in 1720, tattooing replaced amputation as a form of punishment. Crimes like stealing and fraud would be punished with a specific tattoo, like a black ring around your arm, or even the name of the crime would be put on your fricking forehead! And this was so the other
people would know what you did. It's a sign you literally cannot take off. Branded for life, that fucking sucks. Sometimes there was a three-strike policy. Each crime was punished by a single mark, and by the third mark you were out. Yeah, it was like the death penalty. Yeah. (chuckles) Good luck. This was an easy way of
identifying repeat offenders before fingerprinting and all
the technology we have now. But instead, it actually
created a worse problem. People who were committing crimes had this permanent tattoo on them, kind of like a scarlet letter stamped on their fricking face, right? And even if they saw the light and they regretted what
they did, it didn't matter. The tattoo meant that people
treated you differently for as long as you lived. Imagine you have a tattoo on your forehead that said like, "I
stole a pair of earrings from Claire's in 2005." You know, like, bangs can
only cover so much, shit. Plus that's gotta hurt. How would it look as it wrinkles? Mm. So over time, these
people feel like outcasts, obviously, and are
pushed out from society. They decide if they're always
going to be seen as criminals, they might as well be a criminal. I mean, what other choice
do you really have? The tattoos ultimately created
a new class of citizens who were literally referred
to as the untouchables. Like, people wouldn't touch
'em with a 10-foot pole. This class only got bigger because people continue to commit crimes. And over time people started making homes and raising their families right there in these tattooed communities. So this, quote, "criminal class" of people decided to lean in and started getting more and more tattoos. Over time, they would get so many tattoos that their entire bodies were covered, and some did it to just
hide their criminal tattoos and others did it as a
way to reclaim the power that the punishment tattoo took away. Rather than looking at their
criminal tattoo as shameful, their full body art became
a point of power and pride. The Japanese used a similar
hand poke method like in Egypt, but it was called tebori, which translates to hand carve. Which sounds very painful. But there's a long stick with
a group of needles on the end which are dipped into ink and then jabbed into the
skin in a flicking motion. But because these tattoos were
so intricate and colorful, they could take months to finish. And not only that, they
were actually pretty toxic. Yeah. During the Edo period, powdered arsenic, which is a toxic and deadly substance, was added to tattoo ink to
make it darker and last longer. People started reporting that they were having,
like, allergic reactions and a whole bunch of other
health complications, and eventually they would
have to stop using it. But even this couldn't slow down the tattoo culture in Japan. In fact, it probably only
gave it more of an edge. And this is when the criminal
class takes a step further and starts to enlist in the Yakuza. The Yakuza are known around the world as very powerful, very influential organized crime groups in Japan. I'm talking everything from
murders in broad daylight to political corruption
to white collar crime. I mean, they go all the
way back to the Edo period. They also are known for
helping the community in times of crisis. For example, after a
huge earthquake in 1995, they were one of the first
groups at the disaster site giving help to those who need it. So there's two sides to
every story, you know? Most members of the Yakuza can be identified by
their full body tattoos. Over time, these full body tattoos became a sign of loyalty to certain gangs and were associated with organized crime, which is why to this day some people still feel scared when they see a tattooed person in Japan. In the 1870s, tattoos were actually banned for a period of time, but we all know, like
when you ban something, it just makes it more
fun and you wanna do it. So tattoos, as they always
do, made a comeback, but they still had a bad rep over there. When I visited Japan, I went to the spa. It was like, you know, a spa, right? And they had this beautiful pool and I was like, "Oh my
god, I'm so excited. I'm gonna go to one of these spots and like go into the pool." And I was walking up to get
into the pool, as one does, and I started to take off my robe. And then this woman who worked there, she came up to me and
started shouting at me. And I was like, "What? Like, oh my god, what, what, what?" Like, she was panicking and she was like, "Do not get in the pool!" I was like, "Oh my god, is there like a body
in there or something? Like, what?" But she had explained
that if my tattooed ass had gone into the water, I would poison the water. Yeah. So she's like, "You can't go in, you cannot get in the water. You're gonna contaminate the water. We're gonna have to drain the pool. Do not go in." I didn't argue with her. I mean, look, I'm not in the States. I'm not gonna act like, ugh, no. I was just like, "Oh
my god, I'm so sorry!" I covered myself and left. I was so embarrassed, you know? I'm not gonna be a piece of shit. But I found that very interesting. And naturally when I was in Japan, I was like, "What the fuck
was that about?" (laughs) And then when I looked it up, that's when I found out that tattoos are a lot of times just straight up banned in lots of locations like bathhouses, which I think that's where I was at, like a communal spa situation. So that was my experience, and I thought I would
share it, you're welcome. Even though tattoos are
pretty controversial, they do have a big-ass
festival once a year where men with full body tattoos march in the streets
wearing nothing but, like, they kind of look like a white thong. It's kind of hot. So here's something interesting I learned. You know the word stigma, like having a bad rap
for something you did or maybe you were accused of doing? Well, the Latin origin of that word means a brand or scar or a tattoo. A stigma equaled a bad mark. And these stigmas would a lot of the time be tied to enslaved people or criminals, like the untouchable class. I mean, we do see this throughout history time and time again. In the Nazi concentration camps, tattoos of a serial number
were given to prisoners to keep track of them, like you would with
property and not people. And remember the gulags
back in our Stalin episode? Well, the gulags were
big on criminal tattoos. I actually have a couple
of books about it, currently reading, and it's shocking. The Siberian officials
that ran these gulags believe that rape was
one of the worst crimes a man could commit. And as a punishment, they would decorate these sexual offenders with some insanely graphic tattoos. One of them from my book shows two hands opening up a vagina with an eye. Below it in Russian there's a sentence that essentially says, "I'm
a rapist so you can rape me." You know, eye for an eye, I guess. These tattoos made their
lives a living hell, if living in Siberia in a
gulag wasn't already enough. So tattoos were a form of
punishment in tons of cultures, and not just in Japan. But of course, not in America,
("The Star-Spangled Banner") at least not like in the early days. I'm looking at you, Keith Raniere. (mysterious music) A big thank you to HelloFresh for partnering with me on today's episode. But guess what? They wanna partner with you to make cooking easy, fun, and affordable. Cooking, mm, if you
know anything about me, you know it's not my favorite thing. Nah, nay-nay. I get inspired to eat healthy, maybe I'll try like fancy
recipes for a day or two, and then I'm over it, you know? Figuring out, like, what's for dinner is, ah, my least favorite hobby. And maybe you're out there thinking, "Hey, Bailey, me too." Well guess what? If you're just like me and you're stuck in like
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number one meal kit. (mysterious music) In Indigenous America, tattoos were an important part of society, especially for a civilization known as the Mississippian culture. From the years 1200 to 1600 AD, researchers found that tattooing was a sacred practice in
Mississippian culture. And we know this because
they had something called effigy pots, which were these clay pots that were in the shape of a human head. The pots had beautiful painted surfaces that represented what
the people of this tribe looked like back then, like holes around the face
that meant they had piercings and also deep markings that
meant they also had tattoos. To the Mississippian, these tattoos were incredibly sacred. The Mississippian would get tattoos in honor of their god Birdman, who represented the
triumph of life over death. And these tattoos usually
looked like feathers or talons around the eye area and on
the sides of their faces. They were believed to carry properties that could assist you in life, kind of like the Egyptian
fertility tattoos, except that they relied on them in battle. During battle, they believed
that these Birdman tattoos could act as snares or like traps and catch the literal soul
of an enemy that they killed. And having their soul meant
your lifespan got longer. And not only would you benefit from this, but your family would benefit too. Capturing souls in battle meant that it was easier for your family to continue on to the afterlife. I mean, it's kind of beautiful, right? It really takes the meaning of a tattoo to a whole new level. But then one man comes along and honestly does his
best to ruin it forever. His treatment of Indigenous Americans is truly one of the worst things to happen in the history of the world. Now, he's someone we've talked
about in this podcast a lot, a Dark History Douche Canoe Award winner. Mm? Can you guess who it is yet? I'm talking about Andrew
bath salts Jackson. (audience applauding)
Ugh, how I missed him. Welcome back, Mr. Jackson. Now, if you watched our Trail of Tears
episode from season one, you'll know that President
Andrew Jackson signed into law something called the
Indian Removal Act in 1830. The whole point of this was really to screw over and
murder Indigenous Americans so Jackson could take their
homes and take their land. Thousands of Indigenous Americans died because they understandably fought back and didn't wanna leave their homes. Sometimes there was a way for Indigenous Americans
to keep their land, and that was by being forced
to whitewash themselves, you know, to be a little bit more like their Christian settlers. In the 1830s, the government labeled many Indigenous American customs and traditions as quote, "uncivilized." Remember those Spanish conquistadors who didn't approve of tooth decoration in our oral hygiene episode? It's the same thing here. By this point, the Mississippian culture had been pretty much killed off because those European
explorers brought over diseases and the Indigenous Americans
had no natural immunity. It was a death sentence. Sadly, a lot of their ways of tattooing died along with them. But today, other Indigenous tattoo artists are finding ways to preserve
what Indigenous groups like the Mississippians lost. The artists are reclaiming what was stolen and also connecting with their past. As Dion Kaszas, a Canadian tattoo artist who aims to preserve traditional and cultural Indigenous
tattoo practices, puts it, "My existence is a testament to the strength and
resilience of my ancestors, whose tears, prayers,
and blood paid the price for me to do the work that I do today." Having a tattoo makes you different, it makes you stand out, and a lot of people have
a problem with that, especially in religious communities. I mean, we all know they're
the first to remind you that your body is a temple. I just like to decorate my temple. Oh my god, it's so boring. It has white walls. Put some art on it. And this anti-tattoo vibe is something that was carried
into society for a long time. I mean, it's kind of still a thing today. So Andrew Jackson was probably responsible for whitewashing America, but this started to change
during the Revolutionary War. Americans who were fighting in battle would sometimes get patriotic tattoos to celebrate their country. But of course, this time it was like, okay, tattoos are okay now, you know? Because they're not tribal tattoos. They were cool American tattoos. But like, this was the main go-to way to show off your patriotism. Basically, instead of mounting
(powerful rock music) an American flag on your Silverado, you would get a portrait
("The Star-Spangled Banner") of George Washington's face
tattooed across your chest. Literally though, people were doing this. Another popular tattoo was a portrait of the goddess Columbia who represented liberty
and America itself. I know, I was thinking to myself, who's the goddess Columbia? I've never heard of her. But we've actually all seen her. You know that woman who's holding the torch before the movies? Same lady. But tattoos didn't make their way into mainstream society
until the Civil War. That's right. Not only did the soldiers
bring the masses oral hygiene, they also brought us tattoos. It's kind of funny because
before they went to war, most men swore they would
never get the tattoos, but many people, soldiers especially, changed their minds about
tattoos for a couple of reasons. They would get the names
of their fallen comrades tattooed on them to remember them, and they'd also get a tattoo
of their name just in case, you know, like if they got killed and they were unrecognizable, they would reference the tattoo. This was important
because if you didn't have a way of being identified, you would end up being buried and your family would have
no idea what happened to you. There's a story about a man named Harold who was injured and totally disfigured while fighting in the Battle of Hastings during the Middle Ages. When the fuck is the Middle Ages, I know. But he was just unrecognizable. When they brought him back to
be identified by his partner, her name was Edith, the only way they were able to ID him was by a tattoo he got
on his chest that said, "Edith and England." Aww. That was so sad and so sweet and so sad. So next time you're sleeping with a guy and he takes off his shirt and it says like, "Stanford 1988," just remember, the soldiers
back then actually did that as a way to be IDed. And that's special, because I used to think
that was so douchey. But then once I found
this out, I was like, oh, that makes sense. I mean, obviously they're not doing it now for, like, to be IDed, but you never know. Anyways, the way they
tattooed Civil War soldiers was described as excruciating. I guess they'd start by like mixing up ink and wet gunpowder. Honestly, that's badass, right? That's America in a nutshell. And then the tattoo artist would take, like, six to eight needles and then prick the
person's skin with the ink and just jab for a few hours. I mean, that's pretty basic. If you've gotten a tattoo you know, like this shit gets swollen
and inflamed for a few days. Then afterwards they'd sanitize it with anything from water to urine. You know. I mean, if it's good
for a jellyfish sting, it has to be good for a tattoo. They'd even use rum or brandy
if they had it laying around. I mean, if it works, cool. If not, you could always drink it. Pretty soon, every military base had their version of tattoo artists with needles and inks just ready to go. It was seen as a way to unify the men. And these tattoos really
became the blueprint for classic tattoos you even see today. I'm talking the classic like
waving flags, shields, anchors, you know, the naked ladies, maybe a musket or two, the classics. Even though Egyptian women
had been tattooing themselves for hundreds of years
before America existed, a woman with a tattoo was
still very taboo in America. I mean, if American society wasn't letting us vote or wear pants until well into the late 1900s, they definitely weren't letting us get into the tattoo game, you know? That is until one woman
said, "Screw that!" And her name was Maud Wagner. (mysterious music) Today's episode and your next website is sponsored by Squarespace. Listen, in our increasingly online world, the best way to stand out is
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engaging videos to tell a story. Or if you're like me, share other stories. Connect your social media accounts to make an integrated online
presence and you're set. Boom! When I needed to build a new website, Squarespace, ooh, they
made it a little too easy, you know, to get that
started and off the ground. Their templates are sleek and intuitive, and you can customize with your brand colors, fonts, and logos. And their all-in-one
platform means everything. From content to member
areas to social media, it's all integrated seamlessly. When you're ready to get started, head to squarespace.com/darkhistory
for a free trial and use offer code DARKHISTORY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. A big thank you to Squarespace
for partnering with us today, and now let's get back to our story. (mysterious music) Maud was born in 1877
in the middle of Kansas. By the time she was in her 20s, she was working in the
world of traveling circuses as a contortionist and trapeze artist. Now, in her early years in the circus, she didn't actually have any tattoos. While she was on tour, they made a stop at the
St. Louis World Fair. She went there and right
away she had gotten asked out by a famous tattoo
artist named Gus Wagner, who must have found her attractive. Maud agreed to go on a date with him, but in exchange only if he, like, gave her a lesson in tattooing. Gus agreed, and just a few months later, the two of them ended up getting married. And also during this time, Maud found that she was actually
really good at tattooing. After their whirlwind romance, Maud eventually becomes
covered in tattoos. I mean whole thing, full sleeves,
complete, all of her body. And she ends up with so many that she becomes famous for them, as well as becoming a
world-renowned artist herself. This made Maud the first female
tattoo artist in America, which is huge! And then in 1891, a man
named Samuel O'Reilly invented the first tattooing machine. Now, this made getting a tattoo
so much easier than by hand, and also made tattoos a lot more popular. The machine had an ink reservoir and the electric tattoo pin, which tattooed the skin almost
25 times faster per second. Now, customers were lining up to get these less painful
and less expensive tattoos and they became kind of a trend. But Maud and Gus, they refused to conform to the use of the electric tattoo machine, like a lot of other tattoo
artists at the time. They kept things old fashioned and used something called
the hokey-pokey method, which is similar to the stick and poke. Maud is famous for bringing tattoos from the big fancy cities on the coast to everyday people in Middle America, and for being just a badass woman who was proud to be in her tattooed body during a time when women were
constantly being silenced and really not allowed to be
their own person in society. Also, Maud and Gus had
a daughter together, her name was Lovetta, and even more iconic, they taught her how to
tattoo at the age of seven. Imagine getting a tattoo
by a seven-year-old. (tattoo needle buzzing)
Ah, sign me up! Lovetta went on to become a tattoo artist just like her parents, but, very fun fact, she herself never got any tattoos. She became one of the only
tattoo artists of her time to never be tattooed herself. Legend has it Maude refused to let Gus tattoo Lovetta
for whatever reason. Some tattoo artists have rules where they won't tattoo loved ones. I don't know, I've
encountered that before. Just throwing that in there. Maybe that's the case, I don't know. So Lovetta decided if her
father couldn't tattoo her, then no one could, you know? Well, I'm sure her dad decided that too, 'cause that's also another
rule in the tattoo world. There's a lot of rules
in the tattoo world. You don't want to tattoo your own family, or like someone that you love, like a partner or something, because they see it as you putting your partner
through physical pain. So they'll have like another
well-respected artist do it. And a lot of the times if
their parent's a tattoo artist, they won't let anyone
else tattoo their child. It's so weird, and it's just like the rules. (laughs) Anyways. I mean, maybe he doesn't want shitty tattoos on his kid. Facts. Look, tattoos have evolved over time. The machines have gotten better, right? There's even ones that are,
like, battery operated, which is wild. But it's a lot easier to get tattooed now. Nowadays there's this thing
called microneedle tattoos. Have you heard of this? It's almost like one of
those temporary tattoos you get from a quarter machine, but it comes in the
form of a little patch. It's called microneedle because the side of the sticker
that adheres to your skin has a bunch of itty-bitty, teeny-tiny needles coated with ink. You like, push it in and
it gives you a tattoo and there's no bleeding. I don't know. The people who invented it made it for people who are scared of sitting through a
long-ass painful tattoo. It's also for people
who need medical tattoos that show you have, for example,
diabetes or like epilepsy, so you don't have to wear those medical bracelets all the time, which is cool, great. Even though tattooing has totally evolved, people still crave the
old poke and stick method. It's making a comeback. I mean, it's been consistent. I wanted to do it, but I chickened out. I mean, stick and poke takes
like a really long time, takes total precision. I mean, it's a beautiful art, to be heavily respected, let me tell you. Some cultures believe tattoos were sacred, some thought that they
were signs of a criminal, and others saw them as signs that you were indeed a proud American. But at the end of the day, getting a tattoo should be
a personal choice, right? And when it comes to what
we put on our bodies, choose wisely, because tattoos never
go away, honey, okay? And if you're gonna be
dumb and get a tattoo, you can't be stupid. Plan ahead, find a good artist, it's worth the money 'cause
it's on you until you die, and make sure to take
care of it afterwards. You got it? Don't get garage tattoos. Don't let a friend practice on you. You can't be stupid if
you're gonna be dumb. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. (audience applauding) If any of you have fun,
interesting tattoos and you wanna show me or tell me about it, let me know down in the comments section, or tag your favorite artist, because I'm looking to get
the back of my thigh done. Well, everyone, thank you
for learning with me today. Remember, don't be afraid to ask questions to get the whole story, because you deserve that. I'd love to hear your guys' reactions, so make sure to use the
hashtag #darkhistory over on social media
so I can follow along, and join me over on my YouTube where you can actually
watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast airs. And while you're there, you can also catch my
"Murder, Mystery & Makeup." I hope you have a great rest of your day, you make good choices, and I'll be talking to you next week. Goodbye! Dark History is an Audioboom original! This podcast is executive
produced by Bailey Sarian, hi! Dunia McNeily from 3 Arts, Kevin Grosch and Matt
Enlow from Made In Network. A big thank you to our writers, Joey Scavuzzo, Katie Burris, Allyson Philobos, and me, Bailey Sarian. Writers assistant, Kasey Colton. Production lead, Brian Jaggers. Research provided by the
Dark History Researcher Team. A special thank you to
our expert, Mike Freeman. And I'm your host, Bailey Sarian. (mysterious music) (music fades)
