Painted People

Painted People by Matt Lodder offers a comprehensive history of tattooing spanning roughly 5,000 years, from ancient mummified remains to contemporary practices.

Lodder combines art-historical research with cultural analysis to show how tattoos have signaled identity, status, and affiliation in diverse societies, and how meanings have shifted over time.

The book considers technological, social, and aesthetic changes that shaped tattoo practices, including the evolution of tools, inks, and professional tattooing.

By profiling tattooing across social classes—from sailors and socialites to kings and preserved mummies—Lodder demonstrates the art form's deep historical roots and modern resurgence.

Accessible and richly illustrated, the work situates contemporary tattoo trends within a long global tradition.