Veteran tattoo artist Jonathan Shaw’s Vintage Tattoo Flash is an unparalleled collection that captures the alluring poetic essence of early American tattooing. Lovingly amassed by the legendary artist over half a century of travels and adventures, assembling over 3000 rare original sheets of antique hand-painted tattoo design masterpieces, Shaw’s extensive archive spans over 100 years of folk-art history—from the rough-and-tumble back streets of New York’s infamous Bowery in the early 1900s to the emergence of black-and-grey, photorealism fine-line tattooing in East Los Angeles back in the early 1970s.

This priceless, museum-quality collection represents works by the most influential tattoo artists of the 20th century, including storied names like Bob Shaw, Zeke Owen, Tex Rowe, Ted Inman, Ace Harlyn, Ed Smith, Bert Grimm, Paul Rogers, Jack Dracula, and the notorious Moskowitz brothers. These fabled artists each played their own crucial role in defining the bold, enduring aesthetic of traditional tattooing, with imagery that has remained iconic over the decades: eagles, skulls, roses, hearts, daggers, ships, and pin-up girls, all executed with bold black outlines and saturated primary color.

More than just an invaluable visual archive, Jonathan Shaw’s preeminent Vintage Tattoo Flash offers deep insight into the rich, multifaceted culture of tattooing—its shadowy underground origins, its colorful meteoric evolution, and its enduring universal appeal. These designs, once traded, bought, and sold exclusively among itinerant nomadic tattoo men of old, today tell a story of tradition and innovation, of art created to last only a lifetime.

 Ancient as Time, and modern as Tomorrow, the lure of Tattoo - transcending its sacred roots in ancient cultures - continues to evolve and thrive more than ever in today’s fast-paced global arts community. This rare, seminal collection preserves a rich visual history, making it a priceless resource for tattoo enthusiasts, historians, artists and serious collectors alike.