Russia

Russia is a large country whose history brings together many peoples, regions and ways of dressing. Imperial portraits, local costumes and tattoos reveal very different uses of the body as a display of identity.

At court, uniforms, jewels and orders announced power. A richly dressed ruler was meant to be recognised immediately. Regional clothing offered other styles, shaped by local materials, climate and custom.

Tattooing had a very different setting in prisons and forced-labour institutions. Particularly in the Russian and Soviet twentieth century, designs could record experiences or communicate standing among inmates. Their meanings were not fixed for everyone or for every period.

That history should not be confused with earlier portraits or with tattoos chosen outside prison. The contrast is striking: official medals and unofficial marks on the skin could both tell something about a person's life, but under very different conditions.