Grateful Dead Roses & Bertha T-Shirts

Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse were digging through a library book when they found it: a skeleton crowned in roses, drawn by Edmund Sullivan for an edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. They put it on a poster for two nights at the Avalon Ballroom in September 1966, and the Dead had their second signature image before they had their first.

It came back in 1971 on the cover of the live album everyone calls Skull & Roses, where the skeleton picked up the nickname Bertha. Roses have run through the band's artwork ever since — crowns, wreaths, single stems tucked into skulls and bears.

Officially licensed roses and Bertha gear from the Grateful Dead x Relix collection: tees, long sleeves and caps, from the magazine that has covered this band since 1974.

Shop by piece: T-Shirts, Hats, Long Sleeve T-Shirts.

The skeletons that wear them have their own collection, and the Stealie came along a few years later. Browse it all in Grateful Dead x Relix.

Frequently asked questions

What's the story behind the skull-and-roses image?

Kelley and Mouse found it in a library book — a skeleton crowned in roses from Edmund Sullivan's illustrations for the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. They put it on an Avalon Ballroom poster in September 1966. It came back on the 1971 live album cover and the skeleton picked up the nickname Bertha, from the song of the same name.

Are these officially licensed Grateful Dead shirts?

Yes. All Roses & Bertha pieces here are officially licensed through the Grateful Dead x Relix collection, produced by Relix magazine — covering the Dead since 1974.

Is Bertha the same as the skull-and-roses image?

Bertha is the nickname that attached to the skeleton figure, taken from the Dead song. The roses are the constant — they appear across the Dead's artwork in crowns, wreaths, and paired with skulls, bears, and bolts throughout the catalog.