Bert Grimm

In today's world of tattooing, it is not uncommon to see full body suits. This is an achievement that requires years of hard work and dedication on behalf of both clients and artists. In the world of the 1920s US tattooing was almost unheard of. Bert Grimm was known during that time as the man to see for large work. Men and women would travel to his shop in Saint Louis from near and far to have their full body tattoos completed over the course of four to six weeks in hopes that when the work was completed, they would be able to get a job traveling with the circus. At the time Grimm was the head official in the Saint Louis showmen's league so he had no trouble lining his clients up with a job. This was especially helpful during the Great Depression era.

Bert got his humble beginning as a fourth-grade dropout at age 12 he got his start in the business running errands for Sailor Gus and Charlie western. Bert considered Charlie the greatest freehand artist of the time and credited him as the biggest influence on his design style. Around the same time Bert also worked as a kid shill in the carnival, posing as a satisfied customer enticing onlookers to try their luck. He earned enough money hustling customers to purchase his first set of tattoo machines. It's unclear how he next wound up in Honolulu receiving his first instructions and tattooing from Filipino artist Domingo Galang.

He made his way back to Chicago where he bought an outfit from Tom Bradley who schooled him in the mechanical aspects of the trade. He then opened his first tattoo shop in 1916.

After that he went out with the Buffalo Bill Wild West show performing as the tattooed man his back story for the show was that he was shipwrecked on a cannibal island and tattooed by the natives. The story would change in each new town they passed through. He also worked putting tattoos on the patrons of the show. In those days tattoos ranged from $0.50 to $1.00. On a good day he would make $10.

By the time he was 21 he found himself in St. Louis where he opened a shop in Downtown near the Mississippi river with his wife Julia. He and Julia owned the shop and St. Louis for 30 years period this is where Bert became famous from coast to coast as the man to see for large work. This was the roaring 20s when on any given night of the week you'd see thousands of GI's walking to the streets of downtown Saint Louis. One key to his success was the photography studio Julia ran inside of the tattoo parlor. She photographed all his large work further promoting the bodysuit style pieces he was known for it. The tattoo collectors would then go to work traveling the country with the sideshows promoting Bert's shop and selling images of themselves fully tattooed to the patrons of the show Which would in turn send him more business. Bert was one of the of American tattooing's first big promoters. His name was known all around the country. Bert claimed to have tattooed over 400 full bodies over the course of his 60 plus year career in tattooing!

Bert also tattooed a lot of well-known artists in the industry early in in their careers. He tattooed Bob Shaw's sleeves and chest by the time he was 16 and the rest of his suit by the age of 21. Bert also tattooed Lyle Tuttle, Tats Thomas, Bonnie and Clyde and pretty boy Floyd during his Chicago days.

He was a man on a mission and a prolific artist of the time period his hard work led him to some lucky scores along the way Shaw tells a story in his tattoo times interview about when Bert tattooed a whole family during the Great Depression and trade for a 1600 acre ranch South of Saint Louis. At that time the property was worth $800 he later sold timber on that land for a whopping $300,000!

In 1954 Bert and Julia took a trip to Southern California. They liked the scenery so much they moved there and opened his shop on the Long Beach boardwalk known as the Pike. Shaw later came to work for him there along with other great artists over the years such as Owen Jensen and later in the 1960s artists Lyle Tuttle, Don Dolan, Phil Simms, and Dave Gibson. The shop is still open to this day under the ownership of Karry barba. It is one of the longest running tattoo shops in the country. Bert went into semi-retirement at the age of 65 and moved back to his hometown of Portland OR. Unable to fully give up the trade he opened a small studio in his home where he would still do 10 tattoos a week! Bert left a lasting impression on tattooing and is regarded as one of the great in western tattooing. Thankfully we are left today with the beautiful photographs of his work from his wife Julia. Bert passed away at age 85 but left a legacy that holds strong to this day.