Tattoo Artist Profile: Mildred ‘Millie’ Hull
- Livia Michael
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Greetings, internet! It’s Livia Michael, apprentice at Speakeasy Tattoo in beautiful Los Angeles, California! I am about eight months into my apprenticeship and I’ve been working hard tattooing fake skin, grapefruits, bananas, assisting Scott around the shop, and creating art! For today’s blog post, I am going to be doing another notable tattoo artist profile on notable icon in tattoo history: Mildred ‘Millie’ Hull.
Hull was born in New York City in 1897. She came from poverty and dropped out of school when she was only thirteen years old. She eventually joined the circus and performed as a burlesque dancer. However, the pay was quite low in this position, so when a fellow circus member informed her that she could make a lot more money as a ‘tattooed lady’ spectacle, she jumped at the opportunity.
Hull was tattooed by the famous tattoo artist, Charlie Wagner, in order to make her transformation a tattooed lady for the circus. However, it was during this process that she developed an interest in becoming a tattoo artist herself. According to a newspaper article that featured Hull, she is quoted saying, “One day I just got tired of people staring at me, so I opened this studio and went on.”
Hull eventually opened her own tattoo parlor in the Bowery district of New York City, called ‘Tattoo Emporium.’ Her business was incredibly successful, and she was given the title of ‘NYC’s only female tattoo artist’ in 1943. Hull was the first woman in history to open her own tattoo parlor, and she pioneered the path for many women in an incredibly male-dominated industry. It should be noted that while there were other female tattoo artists during this time, many of them learned the trade of tattooing through a boyfriend or husband who was already in the industry. However, this was not the case with Millie Hull, as she sought out this career independently and made a living on her own.
It is speculated that Hull suffered from depression and in 1947 she died by suicide from poison. She was only fifty years old. Even though the ending of her life story is grim, her legacy lives on through the countless independent female tattoo artists that exist today. Thank you, Millie Hull!
Until next time….
-Livia Michael
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