16 Vintage Photographs of Women Showing Their Tattoos From Between the 1890s to the 1960s

Although we are used to seeing girls with beautiful, striking tattoos, tattoos have been an extremely popular trend only for a few decades now. Or isn’t it so? Since the late 19th century, tattoos may not have been that popular, but they were a thing for show-women and bold, progressive ladies.

Check out some badass ladies of the Western world -from artists to ordinary women, who used to walk around with tattoos on their bodies, long before it was cool.

A naked lady riding a bird tattoo, 1928.

Your man always has your back when his face is tattooed on it, 1936.

Betty Broadbent, 1930s.

Emma de Burgh, another famous tattooed lady, and her bangin’ Last Supper tattoo, 1897.

Miss Stella Grassman, BAMF and tattoo artist, 1930s.

A simple horse and jockey tattoo, 1930s.

Mrs. Williams, 1897.

Betty Broadbent, a well-known tattooed lady, at the New York World’s Fair, 1930s.

Pam Nash, a champion tattooed lady, with a Japanese garden scene across her back, 1960s.

The original girl with the dragon tattoo, 1930s.

Maud Wagner, the first well-known female tattoo artist/badass in the United States, 1907.

Pam Nash FTW, 1960s.

Think your swallow tats are cool? This woman got them before you were even born, 1965.

Kickass snake tat, 1928.

A tattooed butterfly garter belt will never fall down when you’re doing the Charleston, 1930s.

Just getting another tat, NBD, 1964.