Grimm, right, 1958

There is much myth and legend surrounding the lives of the great tattoo artists.

Bert Grimm was certainly no exception. Legend has it that in his early years, he travelled with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Circus, and tattooed many of the most famous and infamous customers of the day, including Buffalo Bill, Bonnie and Clyde, and Pretty Boy Floyd. Many have claimed that Bert was the greatest tattoo artist in the world.

Throughout his career, Bert operated shops all over the US, the most famous of which was undoubtedly Bert Grimm's World Famous Tattoo, located on the Nu Pike ('the Pike') in Long Beach, California. The Pike was a giant turn-of-the-century amusement park. Founded in 1897 and located on the beach, it was a hub for a colorful mix of customers, including bikers, truckers, and the thousands of sailors who got tattooed before they shipped out.

Bert operated his shop on the Pike from the early 1950s until 1970, when he moved to Oregon. Shortly afterward, he opened a new shop in Portland, which he owned until 1977, when he retired. The shop was inherited by his nephew Bob Shaw, and subsequently purchased by employees Dave Orlowski and then Don Deaton. It became Sea Tramp Tattoo Co., and is to this day the oldest tattoo shop in Portland. It is there that much of Bert's tattoo flash still hangs on the walls, the same art that appears here in World Wide Tattoo Designs, courtesy of Don Deaton.