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Tony D'Anessa
The Forgotten Old Timer
by Jason Sweet
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Old timers seem to be in short supply in tattooing. Often
when I work at conventions I see old guys with faded blue
tattoos walking the aisles and I wonder what their history is?
Who tattooed them? Are they tattoo artists? What have they
seen? What was it like when they got those old faded tattoos?
Fortunately for me, my friend Craig Driscoll in Edmonton,
Canada told me where I could reach such an old
timer and that his name is Tony D'Anessa. When I heard the
name, I knew it sounded familiar. Craig then told me he was
one of the guys tattooing in New York when they outlawed it
in the early 1960's. Upon hear this I knew I had to talk to
him. These old guy’s are a vital link to tattooing’s past and
once they are gone, so is their era, forever.
I finally spoke to Tony at the Montreal Tattoo Expo in
2005. I was very nervous about meeting him. I had heard
so many stories about how secretive things were and I was
afraid I would be met with skepticism and distrust. I was
however, greeted my by a gentleman who could be anybody’s
grandfather. He was open and honest about his life as a
tattooist. At first he grumbled a bit about how no one did
traditional style tattoos and how much work today’s tattoos
were, but as we walked the aisles and he thumbed through
artists portfolios, it was obvious that he was impressed by
the sheer magnitude of the designs and skill that tattooing
took today. Tony is a straight forward kind of guy that does
not mince words, and I want to thank him for this small oral
history of his life.
 Sweet: Please tell me your name.
D'Anessa: Tony D’Anessa, well it's actually Henry, Tony is my nickname.
How did you get that nickname?
You really want to know?
Yes, I do, tell me.
It was over a driver's license. I did not have a driver's
license, so I borrowed one from a friend named Tony. Soon
the name stuck.
Does it still say Tony on your driver's license?
No, it says Henry, but I did drive on that license that said
Tony for 2 years.
How old are you?
70.
How long have you been tattooing?
Since 1958.
So you started in New York?
Yes.
How did you get started? Did you do an apprenticeship?
There was no apprenticeship in those days. That word was not used. You just had
to know someone who had a tattoo shop and they were lookin' for someone to tattoo. I
did not wash dishes or nothin' like that.
How did you get your equipment? It was pretty secretive in those days, wasn't it?
I went to work for someone. They supplied all the equipment. I did not know where
they got the equipment. I did not have any money anyway. It was Dominick Chancey's
equipment.
What led you to tattooing? What drove you to get into the tattoo business?
I had a good friend that knew Dominick Chancey needed a guy to tattoo out at
Rockaway Beach. He knew I was going to art school and he asked me if I wanted a job.
I knew nothing about tattooing. I had never been in a tattoo shop. My friend took me
down and introduced me to Dominick. That was in the middle of the summer. That's
how I started tattooing. Nobody taught me to tattoo. There was this guy I was working
with that said, "That line better be fucking straight, or you know what’s gonna happen."
He said it in a tone of voice that said he meant it!
What was it that made you want to be a tattoo artist?
I did not want to be a tattoo artist. I just wanted to make money.
You had to be pretty tough guy back in those days. Were you a fighter?
I had people in the shop that would handle those problems. If they were not around,
I would handle things myself. You would have to be crazy to start something in the tattoo
shop in those days.
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