Ever wonder who was the first female tattoo artist in the USA? Here's the answer!

Happy belated birthday, Maud Wagner (Feb. 12, 1877 – Jan. 30, 1961)! Born near Emporia, Kansas, Maud was the first known female tattoo artist in the United States.

Maud worked as an aerialist and contortionist in traveling circuses. She met her husband, Gus Wagner, while they were both performing in St. Louis at the 1904 World's Fair. Maud agreed to go on a date with him if he would give her a lesson in tattooing.

After they left the circus, Maud and Gus traveled the country as traditional "hand-poked" tattoo artists (choosing not to use the recently invented tattoo machine). They had a daughter, Lotteva, who learned the craft and began her lifelong career as a tattoo artist at the age of 9.

Maud died in 1961 and is buried in the Homestead Cemetery in rural Chase County, Kansas.