Tony Polito: Rough Rider, Old Calcutta & Tattoo’s Ban-Era Legend

Tony Polito was one of Brooklyn’s most unforgettable tattooers. His shop, Tony’s Tattoos — better known as Old Calcutta — ran through the NYC tattoo ban years, cranking out 40–80 tattoos a day. He didn’t invent the famous cowboy skull design, but he made the Rough Rider legendary. In this episode of Skin and Story, we set the record straight on: How Tony started tattooing in Brooklyn in the 1960s The truth behind the “Crazy Sal” misnaming His high-volume production style Why his shop became known as Old Calcutta And why his legacy still matters today 📅 Premieres Thursday, September 11th at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET 🎨 Special thanks to Rich Fie for his time and stories: Archive IG: @tonypolito1959 Personal IG: @richfie YouTube: @richfienyc WordPress: richfie.wordpress.com Shop: richfie.bigcartel.com 👉 Subscribe to follow the series:    / @skinandstory   The legacy of American traditional tattooing lives in our skin and in our story.