A People's History of Kansas City

← A People's History of Kansas City17 jul · 32 min

The marvelous Maud Wagner, the tattooed lady of Kansas

The marvelous Maud Wagner, the tattooed lady of Kansas17 jul32 min

A break-in at a Kansas farmhouse unearthed a trove of artifacts from Maud Wagner, one of the country’s first known female commercial tattoo artists. Wagner was born in Emporia and ran off to join the circus until a fateful meeting pushed her to pursue carnival stardom, inked from head to toe. KCUR’s Julie Denesha and Mackenzie Martin explore Wagner’s journey and the permanent mark she left on the world.