Maud Wagner

First known female tattoo artist who preserved traditional hand-poked methods

Maud Stevens Wagner (1877-1961) broke gender barriers as America's first female tattooist, maintaining pre-electric hand-poke techniques during industry mechanization. Her full-body tattoos became living galleries of nautical and circus motifs.

Key contributions:

• Performed in 1904 St. Louis World's Fair as tattooed lady
• Trained husband Gus Wagner in traditional methods
• Documented vanishing folk tattoo styles through her work

The Wagners' traveling tattoo shows preserved ethnic designs from Native American and sailor traditions. Maud's intricate floral sleeves and chest pieces challenged Victorian beauty standards while demonstrating female artistry in male-dominated fields.

Her legacy lives through modern stick-and-poke revivalists who cite Wagner's work as crucial connection to tattoo's pre-industrial roots. The Smithsonian now preserves her tools as early examples of Americana folk art.