Painted People

A beguiling and intimate look at an untold history of humanity.  

In Painted People, Dr Matt Lodder, one of the world's foremost experts on tattooing, tells the stories of people like Otzi, the prehistoric 'iceman' who was tattooed in keeping with his cultural and religious traditions more than 5,000 years ago, and Horace Ridler, who was tattooed as a means to make money in 1930s London. And in between these two extremes, he describes tattoos inked for love, for loyalty, for sedition and espionage and for self-expression, as well as tattoos inflicted on the unwilling, to ostracise. These are the stories of Siberan princesses, Chinese generals and Victorian socialites - stories that span the globe and that, taken together, paint a portrait of humanity as both artist and canvas.