4.26.2008

So THAT'S who she is.....

This woman has fascinated me since I first saw her picture 2 years ago.


Isn't she beautiful? She is defiant towards the camera, an early 'fuck you' to the mores and morals of society and 'normal' people. I finally found out who she is, thanks to The Vanishing Tattoo and their History of Tattooing pages.

She is Mrs. M. Stevens Wagner, and the picture was taken in 1907. So who is Mrs. M. Stevens Wagner? I don't know, but I bet she's related somehow to Charles Wagner, who was partnered with Samuel O'Reilly in the late 1800's in NYC (Bowery). Charles Wagner did something else, too...

Recognize it? It's a dual coil reciprocating engraver, a prototype of today's machine.

It's amazing what you learn when you surf the 'net, isn't it? Oh... A Google through various search terms provides us this: "
Maud Wagner was the first well known woman tattoo artist in the United States. Maud was a circus aerialist and contortionist who learned to tattoo from her husband Gus. Her daughter Lovetta Wagner became a well known female artist as well despite having no tattoos herself."

Someone needs to get me this book, please. I would dearly appreciate it. I'll tattoo you for it! No... Seriously. 1-2 color piece no more than 2"x2". You provide the book and the canvas, I'll give you ink. Deal? Comment and we'll work out details.

****EDIT**** She is Maud Stevens Wagner. Wow. .... Just.... Wow.

4.06.2008


It's small and blurry, but you get a better idea of what the color is supposed to look like. Fresh, it looks almost navy. Healing up, you can see it's actually closer to the color of the wall (indeed, brighter than).
It's finishing nicely, and I have only spotted 1 instance I would like to go back and correct. At the top of the "Y" shape, in the above picture it's the right leg of the Y top. Right where it comes to the point, it's not. I am not stressed about this because it is less than .. the distance between those 2 dots. Really. But I'd like to correct it.
She's ready for her 2nd, which I'm still playing with the design on.
And Sic_un is giving me my 2nd. It's celtic knotwork, not super detailed (he admits he prefers the simple). I'm thinking bicep. Outline, potential color?
It's closest in shape to this:
but reversed. I want the terminus at the top. ANYway. This reversed (and yes, I have the flash for it already), but let me throw some ideas to you:
Thin black outline, pale shading overs and dark unders (purple shades)
Thin dark purple outline, dark shading unders, everything else left alone.
Thicker purple outline, above shading options.
Thicker black outline above shading options.
Thicker dark outline, navy blue or perhaps a deep purple, no shading, just the outline.

I'm leaning to the latter. I'll have to play.