Tattoos and Tradition

Tattooing is a form of folk art, with a lengthy history and plenty of cultural meaning, but tattoos aren’t exactly conventional collectibles. That doesn’t stop enthusiasts from collecting tattoo memorabilia, such as photos of tattooed people, especially historical ones, and flash sheets.

Flash is a tattoo artist’s term for ready-made designs displayed to customers. There are several stories that claim to explain its origins, including carnival vocabulary or the need for a tattoo artist to pack up and leave “in a flash” in places where tattooing was illegal. Whether they’re true or not, these stories capture the subversive, countercultural history of tattoos, which is a major part of the memorabilia’s appeal.

Vintage flash sheets are also important records of tattoo history, preserving popular designs and the legacy of well-known artists long after the actual tattoos have faded. Many are in the American Traditional tattoo style, characterized by black outlines, a limited color palette, and traditional designs that originate in naval tattoos.

Legendary tattooist Bert Grimm (1900–1985) is one of the artists credited with popularizing the American Traditional style. Grimm learned tattooing in his teen years in Portland, Oregon, spent time with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and later opened his World Famous Tattoo Shop at Nu Pike in Long Beach, California, in the 1950s. One of his flash sheets from the 1950s to 1960s sold for $2,640 (including buyer’s premium) at a Potter & Potter auction of contemporary tattoo artist Jonathan Shaw’s collection on April 9.

The 8 1/2-by-8-inch sheet has seven hand-colored classic designs. They carry familiar symbolism; designs include a patriotic eagle with a banner reading “U.S.N.” for the U.S. Navy, along with several options for dedications to loved ones: a heart, flowers, or a memorial cross. The price stickers are still on the sheet, now serving as evidence of how much tattooing has changed since the mid-20th century.

Over the course of his career, Jonathan Shaw witnessed tattoos enter mainstream culture, as chronicled in his 2017 memoir, Scab Vendor: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist. While earlier artists like Bert Grimm generally tattooed military servicemen and people on the fringes of society (Grimm claimed that he tattooed Bonnie and Clyde), Shaw started out in the midst of the New York punk scene, but his later clients included Hollywood stars and supermodels.

Tattooing is no longer a subculture. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center report, 32% of American adults have at least one tattoo. If anything, this makes flash from artists like Grimm and collections like Shaw’s even more meaningful, as they are reminders of the art form’s history.