Convict Tattoos: Marked Men and Women of Australia - Hardcover

Simon Barnard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1925240398 ISBN 13: 9781925240399

Publisher: The Text Publishing Company, 2016

Synopsis

Exploring various aspects of tattooing - from the symbolism of tattoo motifs to inking methods, from their use as meansof identification and control to expressions of individualism and defiance

At least thirty-seven per cent of male convicts and fifteen per cent of female convicts were tattooed by the time they arrived in the penal colonies, making Australians quite possibly the world's most heavily tattooed English-speaking people of the nineteenth century.

Each convict's details, including their tattoos, were recorded when they disembarked, providing an extensive physical account of Australia's convict men and women. Simon Barnard has meticulously combed through those records to reveal a rich pictorial history. CONVICT TATTOOS explores various aspects of tattooing - from the symbolism of tattoo motifs to inking methods, from their use as means of identification and control to expressions of individualism and defiance providing a fascinating glimpse of the lives of the people behind the records.

About this title

About the Author:

Simon Barnard was born and grew up in Launceston. He spent a lot of time in the bush as a boy, which led to an interest in Tasmanian history. He is a writer, illustrator and collector of colonial artifacts. He lives in Melbourne. Simon's phenomenal eye as an illustrator belies his lack of formal training. His work also involves consultation with leading historians and experts to ensure historical accuracy. His first book, A-Z of Convicts in Van Diemen's Land (Text Publishing, 2014), won the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books in the 2015 CBCA Book of the Year Awards.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Text Publishing Company
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1925240398
• ISBN 13: 9781925240399
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128