Goodtime Charlie Cartwright | Tattoo History And The Heritage Project

Goodtime Charlie Cartwright is a tattoo artist who started tattooing in 1955 and is widely regarded as the founder of fine line tattooing.

He got his start practicing on himself and some other people in his neighborhood, which quickly made him a popular tattoo artist. After joining the navy, he migrated to the Los Angeles area and found the Pike, where he was tattooed by various famous artists of the era. Charlie worked at West Coast Tattoo in downtown Skid Row before moving to East L.A. where he started his own shop.

In this interview Marc and Charlie chat about Charlie's past and his current passion project, the Heritage Project in Long Beach, CA, which aims to document and preserve the history of tattooing.

Check out the Tattoo Heritage Project here! And learn why this is one of the most important projects for tattoo history!