Deliberate altering of the human anatomy for non-medical reasons

A Zulu medicine man or shaman. Halftone.

A shaman or medicine man with extensive body painting and nose stick, Australia. Colour process print.

A shaman or medicine man with extensive body painting, Worgaia, Central Australia. Process print.

Two Malayan exorcists dressed in elaborate ritual costume. Halftone after a photograph by Wiele & Klein.

A native American medicine man with elaborate body painting performing a dance. Wood engraving, 1873.

A medicine or shaman adorned with white paint, standing above a sick man trying to drive away the disease. Halftone.

The customized body / Ted Polhemus ; photography by Housk Randall.

Body modification / edited by Mike Featherstone.

1 photograph : photoprint ; sheet 20.72 x 25.2 cm

Borneo: a Dyak man demonstrating the blowpipe. Photograph, 19--.

342 pages : black and white illustrations ; 24 cm

Painted people : humanity in 21 tattoos / Matt Lodder.

Galleries and Reading Room

Library

Shop

Café

It's not possible to book tickets for events at present due to a problem with the ticketing system. We're working to fix it. You can still search and check information about events but please try again later if you want to book a ticket.

We're running paid user research studies to improve Wellcome Collection online

Take part in research

Archive collection level pages, plus the archive collection treatment on the work page and in search results.

The catalogue API's shortDescription is shown on the archive collection hero and in search results.

Archive collection

Clicking an image opens its details in a sidebar instead of a modal, with the selected image highlighted in the grid.

Updated image results grid and a re-sizable viewing pane.

Larger thumbnail, plus key information and onward journey in the sidebar.

Image sidebar preview

The three thematic browsing category pages (subjects, people & organisations, types & techniques) become accessible.

Subject sub-category pages become accessible, and the subjects category page gains a sub-category menu.

Body Modification, Non-Therapeutic

Images from the collections

Images about Body Modification, Non-Therapeutic

Works from the collections

The customized body / Ted Polhemus ; photography by Housk Randall.

A shaman or medicine man with extensive body painting, Worgaia, Central Australia. Process print.

Body modification / edited by Mike Featherstone.

Borneo: a Dyak man demonstrating the blowpipe. Photograph, 19--.

Painted people : humanity in 21 tattoos / Matt Lodder.

Body Modification, Non-Therapeutic

Images from the collections

Images about Body Modification, Non-Therapeutic

Works from the collections

The customized body / Ted Polhemus ; photography by Housk Randall.

A shaman or medicine man with extensive body painting, Worgaia, Central Australia. Process print.

Body modification / edited by Mike Featherstone.

Borneo: a Dyak man demonstrating the blowpipe. Photograph, 19--.

Painted people : humanity in 21 tattoos / Matt Lodder.

Related topics