“The Tattooed Lady”
Not your average librarian
Kelly Moran
Staff Writer
Circulation and Web services librarian, Amelia Klem Osterud will read exerts and sign copies of her cook, “The Tattooed Lady: A History,” Mar. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Second Cup Café.
This free event, complete with complimentary refreshments, will allow the community to experience a book about powerful, entertaining women and the tattoo art form.
“I started researching these tattooed ladies as my master thesis in college and revised it to allow for publishing in the years to follow,” said Osterud.
Inside, this book contains real stories about these ladies’ lives and tattoos.
“It is interesting and it will tell [the community] about an unusual group of women that most people don’t know about,” said Osterud
These tattooed ladies actually performed at the circus, a key place for entertainment in 1882. This went on for many years, and the last of this group retired in 1995.
Tattoos that covered these ladies’ bodies and the performances that accompanied them only begin to give insight into these ladies’ real lives and true identities.
During these acts, the ladies would tell stories which were designed to appeal to audiences so they would add excitement or romance.
These performances were especially unique because the women would perform almost completely nude in front of large audiences across America.
Osteurd’s book, and unique topic is definitely intended to entertain all audiences.
When asked whether she had an interest in writing more, Osterud said, “There are a few things that I would like to go back and research about the tattooed ladies, so I would probably write something else about them.”
For more information on the book signing, contact Brittany Bayer, Learning Commons librarian at 262.650.4887.