Tattoo Artist Profile: Maud Wagner
- Livia Michael
- May 3
- 2 min read
Greetings, internet! It’s Livia Michael again, tattoo apprentice at Speakeasy Tattoo in Los Angeles. As a woman in a historically male-dominated industry, I want to shed light upon prominent female figures in tattoo history. First up, Maud Wagner, the first-recorded professional American female tattoo artist.
Maud Wagner was born Maud Stevens in Kansas in 1877. Before becoming a tattoo artist, Maud was a circus performer, travelling the country, performing aerial stunts and contortions. However, at the World Fair in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904, the course of her life changed. It was there that she met the tattoo artist, Gus Wagner. Wagner was taken with her and asked her out on a date. She agreed to it, on the condition that he would teach her how to tattoo.
Maud apprenticed Gus Wagner, and learned how to perform tattoos using the hand-poked method. Even though tattoo machines were rising in popularity, Gus Wagner preferred to tattoo in this more traditional manner. A few months later, Maud and Gus were married, and they soon had a daughter named Lotteva.
Maud was covered in tattoos soon after she became involved with her heavily-tattooed husband, and they put their bodies on display at circuses, as the ‘tattooed lady’ and ‘tattooed man’ attraction. They were able to make a decent living from the circus, combined with their income from being tattoo artists themselves. Maud and Gus continued to practice hand-poked tattoos, and resisted the modern shift to tattoo machines throughout their career.
Maud went on to practice the craft of tattooing until she passed away from cancer in 1961. Maud’s daughter Lotteva, went on to become a tattoo artist, even though Maud had ironically forbidden her daughter from getting any tattoos from her father, Gus. And so Lotteva decided that she would never be tattooed, even though she was a tattoo artist herself.
Maud Wagner’s legacy lives on, as what was once a predominantly male craft, has become increasingly accessible to women everywhere. I’m living proof. So, thank you Maud Wagner!
Until next week…
-Livia Michael
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