This index of historical tattooists in Canada acts as an online appendix to Jamie Jelinski’s book, Needle Work: A History of Commercial Tattooing in Canada (2024). Numerous people who tattooed in Canada during the period covered by the book were left out, mentioned only in passing, or relegated to endnotes. The reasons for this vary, but include a lack of primary source material about their lives and work, the thematic narratives advanced by the book, and spatial constraints imposed by the publisher. Complementing the book, this index is intended to provide a comprehensive list of tattooists who worked in Canada up to and including 1980. The information presented here is culled from the variety of sources, such as: newspapers, city directories, census and voter records, images, objects, archival documents, business cards, television reportage, and oral history. For the sake of simplicity, only municipalities are listed due to frequent itinerancy and changes in business locations. Dates indicate their period of activity as a tattooist and are approximations that are subject to change. This list is by no means definitive and is intended to expand over time with subsequent findings and contributions. As such, anyone with information, collections, or material related to any tattooists on this list are strongly encouraged to get in touch via the Connect section of this website.

A

•Amos, George Jr.; Amherst (NS), Springhill (NS); pre-1977

•Anderson, Eric “Zipp”; Edmonton (AB); late 1970s onward

•Anderson, John; Kitchener (ON); late 1970s

•Arteau, Paul; Toronto (ON); late 1970s onward

•Atlee, George; Hamilton (ON); 1961–early 1980s

B

•Baldwin, Frederick (Fred, F.A.); Montreal (QC), Halifax (NS); 1910s–late 1950s

•Bear, Richard; Toronto (ON); c. 1980 onward

•Bedard, Armand; Halifax (NS); late 1960s

•Bodkin, Bruce; Quebec City (QC); c. 1972–early 1980s

•Burnup, John; Ottawa (ON); late 1950s

•Briand, Daniel; Halifax (NS); 1950s

•Bryant, Dwight (“Dee”); Toronto (ON), Barrie (ON); c. 1975 onward

C

•Cameron, Ken; Victoria (BC); c. 1978

•Cameron, Steve; Victoria (BC); c. 1978

•Carroll, John; Montreal (QC); c. 1921

•Chong, Ing (“The Chinaman”); Toronto (ON); c. 1963 onward

•Clark, John; Montreal (QC); c. 1918

•Corday, Benjamin (“Ben”); Vancouver (BC); 1923

•Cotterell, Kenneth William (“Beachcomber Bill); Toronto, ON; c. 1973 onward

•Crane, Earl; Vancouver (BC); c. 1926

D

•D’Annessa, Tony; Montreal (QC); c. 1977 onward

•Daudier, Joseph; Halifax (NS); 1922

•Demers, Clément; Ottawa (ON), Montreal (QC); late 1940s–1978

•Demers, Clément; Montreal (QC); 1970s onward

•Demers, Denis; Montreal (QC); 1970s

•Demers, Marie-Marthe; Montreal (QC); 1960s and 1970s

•Demers, Norman; Montreal (QC); 1970s onwward

•Demers, Serge; Montreal (QC); 1970s

E

•Eustis, Charles; Windsor (ON); 1921

F

•Francis, Herbert John (H.J.); Kingston (ON); c. late 1920s–early 1930s

G

•Garnier, Theodore; Halifax (NS); c. 1921

•Gilby, R.; Kingston (ON); c. 1913

•Gregory, Victor; Vancouver (BC); 1970s

•Grubb, Carol (“Professor Smokey,” later known as Carol Nightingale); Toronto (ON), Alliston (ON), Vancouver (BC); c. 1960 onward

H

•Hammond, Jack (“Tex”); Calgary (AB); c. 1952–1961

•Hartley, Gordon Charles; Victoria (BC); c. 1915

•Hemmens, Thomas (“Sailor Tom”); St. John’s (NL); c. 1943–44

•Hendry, Forbes (“Doc” Forbes); Vancouver (BC), Victoria (BC); 1938–early 1970s

•Hodge, Trevor; Halifax (NS), Toronto (ON); c. 1960s onward

•Hoefner, Archibald; Toronto (ON); c. 1902

•Hope, Henry/Harry; Halifax (NS); c. 1894–1905

•”Horishiyo”; Vancouver (BC); c. 1908

•Horn, Clayton; Calgary (AB); c. 1970s

•Hughson, Robert (Bob); Barrie (ON), Edmonton (AB), Calgary (AB), Regina (SK), Halifax (NS); c. 1949–1957

I

•Irvine, William; Niagara-on-the-Lake (ON), c. 1910s–1920s

J

•Jeffries, Paul; Calgary (AB); late 1970s onward

•John, David; Edmonton (AB); c. 1970s

•Johnson, George; Vancouver (BC); c. 1908

•Johnson, Roy; Edmonton (AB); 1970s onward

•Johnson, Nels; Thunder Bay (ON); c. 1941–1980

•Johnson, Sharon; Edmonton (AB); 1970s onward

•Jones, Winslow; Fredericton (NB); c. 1970s

•Juliano, Don; Vancouver (BC); c. 1979 onward

K

•Kane, “Professor” (first name unknown); Ottawa (ON); c. 1919

•Kidd, Elias Captain; Vancouver (BC); c. 1920–1922

•King, Tony; Halifax (NS); c. 1963–1965

L

•Lalonde, Roger; Gatineau (QC), Ottawa (ON); c. 1963 onward

•Lapidus, Harold; Toronto (ON); 1960s

•Lapidus, Irving (“Ike”); Toronto (ON), 1960s

•Laroche, Carole; Gatineau (QC); c. 1979 onward

•Laroche, Gilles; Gatineau (QC); c. 1979 onward

•Lavoie, Etienne (“Professor Joe”); Montreal (QC); c. 1938–1956

•Lem, Jim; Toronto (ON); c. 1971–1972

•LeMarchant, Gary; Halifax (NS); c. late 1970s onward

•Leopold, Guy Edward (“Circus Leo”); Nanaimo (BC), Vancouver (BC); c. 1950–c. 1975

•Lewis, Albert; Regina (SK); c. 1920s–1940s

•Lewis, J.L.; Montreal (QC); c. 1919

•Liberty, Edward (“Ted,” “Captain Ted”); Halifax (NS), Montreal (QC), Vancouver (BC); c. 1954–early 1970s

•Lockhart, Leigh (Thomas); Vancouver (BC); c. 1979 onward

M

•MacLean, Robert (Bob); Halifax (NS); mid-1960s–1973

•”Madame Blondy”; Vancouver (BC); 1913

•Martynuk, Patrick (Pat); Edmonton (AB); mid-1960s–early 1970s

•Maxwell, Joseph; Toronto (ON); c. 1914

•McDiarmid, Donald Patrick; Vancouver (BC); pre-1969

•McElnay, James Charles; Toronto (ON); c. 1948

•Morgan, Alfred; St. John’s (NL); c. 1927–1930

•Murakami, J.; Victoria (BC); 1891

•Murtagh, Ernest Everand; London (ON); early 20th century

N

•Nauman, John Harry (“Shorty”); Kitchener (ON); early 1930s–late 1960s

•Newcombe, Alvin (Al); London (ON); early 1970s onward

•Noddings, Rick; Edmonton (AB); 1970s

•Nuthall, Pete; Edmonton (AB); c. 1967–unknown

O

•Oakley, Theodore; Montreal (QC); c. 1903

•O’Connor, Michael; Vancouver (BC); early 1920s

•Ouderkirk, Henry (“Tex”); Toronto (ON); c. 1978 onward

P

•Paling, Frederick (“Sailor Fred,” “Yukon Jim”); Saint John (NB), Toronto (ON), Nanaimo (BC), Calgary (AB), Windsor (ON), Thunder Bay (ON); 1960s onward

•”Professor Edin”; Hamilton (ON); 1913

•Prokopowicz, Joseph; Cambridge (ON); c. 1964 onward

•Powell, Thomas; Toronto (ON); c. 1914–1947

R

•Revell, Edwin (“Ted”); Belleville (ON); early 1930s

•Riggs, Ray Howard; Winnipeg (MB); c. 1920s–1940s

•Robinson, Albert George; Victoria (BC), Vancouver (BC); c. 1939–1957

•Romain, J.V. (“Frenchy”); Toronto, ON; c. 1970s

•Ross, Arthur; Toronto (ON), c. 1940

•Rowe, Herbert; Vancouver (BC); c. 1906–1908

•Ruston, Lawrence (“Lefty Larry”); Brandon (MB), Winnipeg (MB); post-1964

S

•”Sailor Roley”; Halifax (NS); c. 1898

•Simmons, Joseph (“Sailor Joe”); Kingston (ON), Toronto (ON), Halifax (NS), Saint John (NB), St. John’s (NL), Winnipeg (MB), Calgary (AB); c. 1963–1965

•Shaw, George; Saint John (NB); c. 1970s

•Sherman, Thomas; Calgary (AB); c. 1914

•Shore, Dave; Vancouver (BC); c. 1973 onward

•”Slim Jim”; Winnipeg (MB), Newdale (MB); post-1964

•Smithson, Robert Hugh (“Hugh Smythe”); Toronto (ON), Vancouver (BC); c. 1908–1916

•Snow, Charles (Charlie); Montreal (QC), Halifax (NS); c. 1920s–1969

•Spencer, William; Kingston (ON); c. 1916

•Spitzer, Hugo; Vancouver (BC); c. 1914

•Standell, Robert; Calgary (AB); mid-1950s

•Stewart, Keith; Montreal (QC); late 1970s onward

•Sullivan, John; Saint John (NB); c. 1940s onward

•Sutherland, George; Arvida (QC); 1950s–unknown

T

•Talbot, Ed (Ed Hardy); Vancouver (BC); 1968

•Thirwell, Donald; Edmonton (AB); c. 1966

•Trainor, Joe; Ottawa (ON); c. 1937

V

•Vertommenn, Joseph (“Sailor Pancho”); Toronto (ON), Vancouver (BC), Winnipeg (MB); early 1960s

W

•Wadden, Jim; St. John’s (NL); early 1970s onward

•Wallachy, Peter (“Pancho”); Toronto (ON), Oshawa (ON); c. 1974 onward

•Watson, Alf; Montreal (QC); early 20th century

•Waymark, Judi (“Jude”); Toronto (ON); late 1970s onward

•Weatherhead, John (“Curly Allen”); Barrie (ON), Edmonton (AB), Vancouver (BC); c. 1940s–1979

•Webster, J.T.; Winnipeg (MB); c. 1912

•Weir, Cecil William (“Yokohama Bill,” “Sailor Bill”); Winnipeg (MB), Brandon (MB), Calgary (AB); early 1960s

•Weklych, Randy; Edmonton (AB); early 1970s onward

•White, Charlie; Toronto (ON); c. 1913

•Whitey, John; Vancouver (BC); c. 1926–1928

Z

•Zabala, Susan; Vancouver (BC); c. 1978 onward

•Zuk, Bryan; Vancouver (BC); c. 1975 onward