16

(Detroit, ca. 1921)

US Navy and Other Tattoo Designs by J.F. Barber

An exceptional hand-painted sheet of tattoo flash by Jesse Frederick Barber (1879-1970), Detroit, Michigan, ca. 1921. Barber was a pioneering tattoo artist and supplier who worked primarily in Cincinnati and Detroit. He produced the iconic body suits of tattoo artists August "Cap" Coleman and Frank Graf. Signed "Studio of Tattooing Art" with scratched out name at bottom center. Ink and watercolor on paper. See Lots 15-20 for related items.

This sheet and several other items in this sale (Lots 15-20), including a trunk, belonged to tattoo artist Fred Peifer (1895-1991). A native of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Pfeiffer, moved to Toledo, Ohio around 1916, where he worked as an engraver and tattooed in a shooting gallery. Joe Clingnan also tattooed in Toledo at this time, though it's unknown if they had any connection. Following his service in WWI, Fred returned to Bloomsburg. He seems to have purchased his flash, machines, and other tattoo equipment exclusively from only J.F. Barber and Charlie Wagner.

Provenance: Collection of Flo & Don Makofske, National Tattoo Association.
Frame: 21 1/2 x 29 1/2 in. (54.6 x 74.9 cm.)

  • Condition: Overall good condition with minor wear appropriate for its age and use. Abrasion to paper where name was scratched out.

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July 13, 2025 11:00 AM EDT
Portsmouth, NH, US

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