Dark History - 91: Magic Tramp Stamps and Taboo Tattoos | Dark History with Bailey Sarian

Episode Date: June 14, 2023

Welcome to the Dark History podcast. Today we’re diving into a topic that has always been controversial: tattoos. Did you know that in Japan, tattoos could change your whole life- or even mark you with a death sentence? From ancient magic to modern-day men parading the streets in nothing but tighty whities, this episode is full of spicy stories that’ll keep you on pins and needles (pun intended).  Episode Advertisers Include: Zocdoc, HelloFresh, & Squarespace. Learn more during the podcast about special offers!

Tatus have always been a little controversial, but what if I told you Tramsdam seems to be a source of magic? Tatus 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 Tatus say about us? And why are we so obsessed with them? 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. 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, Laura. Laura? 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 crans and boof there was it was a butterfly on her lower back. Oh 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 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. 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 tram stamp, well, 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. 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?

I would call this a sleeve. I have one chill. She also started smoking. Most of the stereotypes is that people who get tattooed smoke and where that might be true, Joan, it's kind of rude, because I quit. And I want that cigarette, Joan! 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 tail is old as time and you're probably wondering okay, Bailey But how do we actually know this? Well, for starters, it's because archaeologists found a 5,000-year-old mummy with tattoos. This mummy, he was built different. Literally, his name was Otsi. Otsi 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. Which honestly, he was like, 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 felt face down in the dirt and I gave up. Why 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 Otsey not my hike so Otsey's body was accidentally Momma-fied 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 archaeologists away. Because before the ottsi was found, they had never found evidence of any tattoos in this time period when ottsi was alive. Now there was something unusual about Otcy's tattoos. The scientists, they reasoned that what they were actually seeing was ancient medicine. Otcy 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 Otcy 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 Otze'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 them in certain spots. So maybe, you know, they did this to give Otcy some relief with the charcoal in the wound. That's what yeah, it sounds about right. For me personally, I am just like Otcy. Look,

I also use tattoos for healing. Usually after a breakup or something major, my life happens. I tend to get a new tattoo, I don't know why, but I get it, Otcy, 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 believe that too. Yeah, it wasn't just Oxy, either. I'm happy to partner with ZockDock to bring you this episode.

There's nothing worse than going to the doctor, expecting to be like the center of attention, and then, you know, you get there, you get treated like garbage, and you can tell that your doctor, I don't know, he's seeing you as an inconvenience, right? I mean, hello! I'm pretty sure they put the clock behind you, you know, so the doctor can stare at it without you noticing. So instead of, you know, listening intently, maybe asking how you feel and helping you along, the doctor is thinking about having a burrito for lunch. But on ZockDock, you'll find quality doctors who focus on you, listen to you, and prioritize your care. No more Dr. Roulette or scouring the internet

for questionable reviews. With ZockDock, you have a trusted guy to connect you to your favorite doctor you haven't even met yet. Millions of people use ZockDock's free app to find and book a doctor in their neighborhood who is like patient reviewed and Fits their needs and schedules just right. You can even search by your insurance. So no more like doctors watching the clock, you know, They're there for you. Go to zock.com slash dark history and download the zock.com app for free. Then find and book a top rated doctor today. Many are available within 24 hours.

That's zock.com. Z-O-C-D-O-C dot com slash dark history. Zock.com slash dark history. We also know that ancient Egyptians between 4,000 to 3,500 BC were also getting tattoos, but unlike other cultures, it looks like an Egypt tattoo were only for women. Which love, I forget love Egypt, they're the shit. And apparently, the most important tattoo when ancient Egyptian women 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, hath her, and really do whatever they could to 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 archaeologist named Louis Kamer wrote a book in 1948 all about tattooing an ancient Egypt. And in it 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 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 tripled up mummy skin and higher glyphics on tombs and Armed with this imaging technique, scientists figured out that Louis was fricking 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 archaeologists found were buried at the Ear 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 Louise 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 a woman could have so much power and whatnot. Do you have any? 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 cow-ry shells, which are a 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 your're dead doesn't mean you can't old men and you can't suck their and their mouths and

and then I don't know. And just like today, Egyptian women had their own tattoo trends. It was common for musicians and dancers to get tattoos of the goddess, best 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 Ampook. 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 and 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 it a lot of sense. Have you ever put like a milk over a sunburn? It helps like your sunburn heal a lot faster and when you put it over

tattoo, hmmm 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, because I went to Tokyo. So I mean, it's the next level. The energy, the people, the food, it was so clean there. Wow! I loved it. It was amazing. I want to go back. I came.

I was only there for like three days. Not enough time. We're not recommend. And there's something else they've been doing right for thousands of years. Tattoos. In their contribution to the history of Tattoos, it's very controversial. It all starts during a time called the Jomon Period, from around 10,000 BC to 300 BC.

Archaeologists 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 eerie sumi. And these Japanese eerie sumi have been associated with so many different meanings over the years. Some men would get tattoos for protection, especially against large fish, the big players in charge. As time goes by, Japanese tattoos become more about a side 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 is 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 1 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 freaking 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, the fucking socks. Sometimes there was a three strike policy. Each crime was punished by a single mark. And by the third mark, you were out. Yeah, I was like the death penalty. Yeah.

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 freaking 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 Clare's I stole a pair of earrings from Claire's in 2005. You know, like, things can only cover so much. Shit. Plus, that's gotta hurt. How would it look as it wrinkles? 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, which were literally referred to as the untouchables. People wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole. This class only got bigger because people continued 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 tabori, 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 pre-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 can 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, our known around the world is very powerful, very influential organized crime groups in Japan. I'm talking everything from murders and 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 side-seps, you know? Most members of the Yukusa 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 he banned something,

it just makes it more fun and he 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 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 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 she was like do not get in the pool I was 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, uh, no. I was just like, oh my God, I'm so sorry.

Covered myself and left. I was so embarrassed, you know? Not gonna be a piece of shit. But I felt that very interesting. And naturally when I was in Japan, I was like, what the fuck was that about? 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 bath houses, which is 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 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 allow the time to be tied to enslaved people or criminals like the untouchable class. I mean, we do see this throughout history time and time again. And then not see 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 of 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 and a gulag wasn't already enough, so tattoos were a form of punishment

and tons of cultures and not just in Japan. But of course not in America, at least not like in the early days. I'm looking at you, Keith Reineri. A big thank you too, hello fresh for partnering with Beyond Today's episode. But guess what? They want to partner with you to make cooking easy, fun, and affordable. Cooking? If you know anything about me, you know it's not my favorite thing. No, no, no. I get inspired to eat healthy, maybe I'll try fancy recipes for a day or two, and then

I'm over it. You know, figuring out what's for dinner dinner is, oh, 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 some kind of recipe rut, hello, fresh helps you take a bite out of something new with 40 recipes to choose from weekly. That's a lot. And listen, if you're not like a chef and you just need something on the table now now, you can look for quick and easy recipes on the HelloFresh menu, including fast and fresh

options that are ready in just 15 minutes or less. So you can have something just a little more nutritious than, you know, pop tarts for dinner. Not me, maybe. I personally love HelloFresh because they deliver pre-portioned ingredients straight to my door. I don't even have to go to the store. Along with easy to follow recipe cards that give you like visuals as well. So I don't have to, you know, mess things up. Okay, plus HelloFresh's seasonal ingredients are picked at peak brightness and they travel from the farm to your doorstep

in less than seven days. Snaps. Hey, if this sounds like your cup of tea, go to hellofresh.com slash dark history 16, and use code dark history 16 for 16 free meals, plus free shipping. Yeah, they're just like here, take it. That's hellofresh.com slash dark history 16.

And again, use code dark history 16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping. That's hello fresh America's number one meal kit. In indigenous America, tattoos were an important part of society, especially for a civilization known as the Mississippi culture. America, tattoos were an important part of society, especially for a civilization known as the Mississippi in culture. From the years 1200 to 1600 AD, researchers found that tattooing was a sacred practice in

Mississippi in 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 Mississippi and these tattoos were incredibly sacred.

The Mississippi and 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 size 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. 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.

Hmm? You guess who it is yet? I'm talking about Andrew Bathsaults Jackson. Oh, how I missed him. Welcome back, Mr. Jackson. Now if you watch our trail of tears episode from season one, you'll know that President Andrew Jackson signed into the 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 want to 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 conquista doers who didn't approve of tooth decoration in an oral hygiene episode?

It's the same thing here. By this point, the Mississippi and 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 Casas, a Canadian tattoo artist who aims to preserve traditional and cultural indigenous tattoo practices, puts it, deserve traditional and cultural indigenous tattoo practices. What's 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 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-tattu 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 a 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 an American flag on your Silverado, you would get a portrait 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 Tatooists didn't make their way into mainstream society into 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's 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 Attachu, he got on a chest that said Edith and England.

Aww, he's 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 ID'd. 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 ID, 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 in like 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 gone to 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 ink

just right 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 musketer to 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 were panced until well into the late 1900s, it definitely weren't letting us click into the tattoo game, you know? That is. Until one woman said, screw that! And her name was Maud Wapner. Today's episode and your next website is sponsored by Squarespace. Listen, in our increasingly online world, the best way to stand out is with a personalized website. And now you're probably at home thinking, but Bailey! Bailey! I don't know how to make a website. I don't know how. First of all, calm down. Worry not, because Squarespace has done the hard work for you, okay? Squarespace, if you don't know, is an

all-in-one platform for building your brand and growing your business online. You can stand out with like a beautiful website. You can engage with your audience, and you can sell anything, your products, content you create, and even your time. Squarespace has all the features you need to get your successful website off the ground.

Powerful blogging tools to share stories, photos, videos, and updates. You can categorize, share, and schedule your posts to make your content, you know, work for you. And to make those videos, Squarespace's Video Studio app helps you make and share 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, oh, 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 they're 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 slash dark history for a free trial and use offer code dark history 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. Mod 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. Mata agreed to go on a date with him, but in exchange, only if he 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, Madd found that she was actually really good at tattooing. After their whirlwind romance, Madd 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 in 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 mod 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 Hoki Poke method, which is similar to the stick and poke.

mod 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, Mod and Gus had a daughter together. Her name was LaVeta, and even more iconic, they taught her how to tattoo at the age of seven. Imagine getting a tattoo by seven year olds, a-sign me up. LaVeta 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, Mod refused to let Gus tattoo LeVeta for whatever reason. Some tattoo artists have rules where they won't tattooed 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 LeVeta decided if her father could attach to her, then no one could, you know? Well, I'm sure her dad decided that too,

because 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 parents attach to artists,

they won't let anyone else tattoo their child It's so weird and I don't they just it's just like the rules Anyways, I mean maybe he doesn't want she tattoos on his kid Facts you 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 micro needle tattoos.

Happy 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 micro needle 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 epilepsy, so you don't have to wear those medical bracelets all the time, which is cool, great. Even though tattooing has totally involved, people still crave the old poke and stick method. It's making a comeback and me has been consistent. I want to do a bit, 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 believed 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. Clan ahead, find a good artist, it's worth the money because it's on you until you die and make sure to take care of it afterwards. Got it? Don't get garage tattoos. Don't let a front practice on you. You can't be stupid if you're gonna be dumb. Thank you for coming to my tech talk. can't be stupid if you're gonna be dumb. Thank you for coming to my tech talk.

If any of you have fun interesting tattoos and you wanna show me or tell me about it, let me know down in the comment 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 and 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 audio boom original. This podcast is executive produced by Bayley Seriant High, Dunia McNeely from Three Arts, Kevin Grush, and Matt Nellow from Maiden Network. A big thank you to our writers, Joey Scavuzo, Katie Burris, Allison Floboz, and Me, Bailey Surion. Writers assistant, Casey Colton. Production lead, Brian Jaggers.

Research provided by the Dark History Researcher team. I'm your host, Bailey Sarian.