Jessie Knight
| Jessie Knight | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1904 Croydon |
| Died |
1992 Barry |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Charlie Bell |
| Known for | tattoo artist |
Jessie Knight (1904 - 1992) was the first recorded female tattoo artist in the UK.[1]
Personal life
Jessie Knight was born in Croyden in 1904, one of 8 children. Her family worked in circuses and she was involved in sharp-shooting and riding acts. She was married aged 27, but this only lasted 8 years.[1] She died in Barry in 1992.
Career as tattoo artist
Knight began as a tattoo artist in 1921 in Barry, South Wales having learnt how to tattoo from her father.[2] She was later an apprentice with Charlie Bell in Kent. She then moved to her own tattoo shops in Portsmouth and subsequently Aldershot. Many of her clients were women.[3] She returned to Barry in 1968 and continued working into the 1980s.[4]
Her style was to work freehand after drawing the design onto the body.[2]
In 1955 her tattoo of a highland fling won second prize in the Champion Tattoo Artist of All England competition held in London.[1]
Legacy
Her work was included in an exhibition at National Maritime Museum Cornwall March 2017 - January 2018 showing a history of British tattooing.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 Iqbal, Nosheen (14 March 2017). "Life at the sharp end: Jessie Knight, Britain’s first female tattoo artist". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- 1 2 DeMello, Margo (2014). Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World (First ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 809. ISBN 978-1610690751.
- ↑ "Jessie Knight". YouTube. Pathe News. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ↑ Mifflin, Margot (2013). Bodies of Subversion: A secret history of women and tattoo (3rd ed.). Powerhouse Books. p. 192. ISBN 978-1576876138.
- ↑ "Tattoo: British tattoo art revealed". National Maritime Museum, Cornwall. Retrieved 15 March 2017.