1890-2022, predominant 1900-1962
HAV-01-403-Z-G-319 (flat file); Boxes 1 and 2 are temporarily housed on shelf HGO-02-105-A-B-103 in HAV-01-403
GUSN-360134
This collection contains ephemera, photographic materials, and original art related to the history of tattooing in Boston, Massachusetts, specifically related to Frank and Annie Howard and the Liberty family. Majority of materials focus on Boston, specifically the area formerly known as Scollay Square. This includes business cards; care instructions for tattoos; photographs of tattoo artists and related figures; correspondence from the Boston Redevelopment Authority regarding the redevelopment of Scollay Square; a sketchbook of tattoo designs; a tattoo shop sign; a copy of Loud, Naked, & in Three Colors: The Liberty Boys & the History of Tattooing in Boston by Derin Bray and Margaret Hodges; and items related to the exhibit hosted by Historic New England, among other materials. This collection is arranged into three series and six subseries. Folder titles were assigned by the processor.
tattoos
tattoo artists
industries (organizations)
works of art
photographs
ephemera
printed ephemera
correspondence
designs (concepts)
business cards
instructions (document genre)
shop signs
manuscripts (document genre)
printed ephemera
photographs
art (fine art)
5.48 linear feet (1 records carton, 1 clamshell box, and 1 flat file drawer)
An electronic finding aid is available through Historic New England's Collections Access Portal. A paper finding aid is available in the Library & Archives.
Materials within this collection were acquired by Derin Bray as part of his research for Loud, Naked, & in Three Colors: The Liberty Boys & the History of Tattooing in Boston. They were subsequently purchased by Historic New England in 2021 and 2022.
MS068
Tattoo collection
2021
MS068
A collection of flash art, photography, ephemera, and printed matter related to the history of tattooing in Boston, Massachusetts.
Library & Archives Purchase
1890-2022, bulk 1900-1962
Library & Archives purchase, 2022
Baltimore (Baltimore Independent City, Maryland)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
Detroit (Wayne county, Michigan)
New York City (New York state)
Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada)
Milton (Norfolk county, Massachusetts)
London (Greater London, England, United Kingdom)
Portsmouth (Rockingham county, New Hampshire)
manuscripts (document genre)
printed ephemera
photographs
art (fine art)
Packard, Franklin Howard, 1857-1925
Packard, Annie Jane, 1859-1911
Liberty, Francis William, 1904-1956
Liberty, Harold, 1906-1985
Liberty, Edward W., 1883-1957
Liberty, Ted, 1912-1976
Smith, Charles Edward, 1868-1930
Eisenmann, Charles, 1850-
Levin, Edward, 1889-1968
McManus, Carrie Minnie Frances, 1883-1923
Barnum and Bailey
Historic New England
Smith & Howard
Boston Tattoo Studio
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Scollay Tattoo Shop
Ted's Tattoo Studio
Boston Herald
Rake House
Boston Beer Company
Obermüller & Kern
Tattoos
Tattooing
Tattoo artists
Photograph
Art
This collection is available for research.
Materials were rehoused for long-term preservation.
"Where Waters Meet" tattoo design, circa 1920 was framed to ensure the item's long-term preservation.
Ted Liberty's Tattoo Studio Sign, circa 1950 was framed to ensure the item's long-term preservation.
Loud, naked & in three colors :the Liberty boys & the history of tattooing in Boston /Derin Bray, Margaret Hodges..
Collection
HAV-01-403-Z-G-319 (flat file); Boxes 1 and 2 are temporarily housed on shelf HGO-02-105-A-B-103 in HAV-01-403
Accruals are not expected.
No materials have been removed from this collection.
Majority of materials are in English. A small portion of materials are in French and German.
Item identification. Box #. Tattoo collection (MS068). Historic New England, Library & Archives.
This collection was processed by Jordan Meyerl, Archives Cataloguer, 2022-2023.
This finding aid is Second Edition DACS-compliant.
Collection documenting the Historic New England exhibit Loud, Naked, & in Three Colors: The History of Tattooing in Boston. Curated by historians Derin Bray and Margaret Hodges, the exhibit was on display at Historic New Englands Eustis Estate in Milton, Massachusetts, from June 10 through October 30, 2022. The exhibit is based on the book Loud, Naked, and in Three Colors: The Liberty Boys & the History of Tattooing in Boston. Written by Derin Bray and Margaret Hodges, the book won The American Association for State and Local Historys Leadership Award.
The exhibit displayed a selection of flash art, photography, and advertisement materials which painted the rich history of this period in the history of tattooing. The exhibit featured the work of Bostons tattoo pioneers such as Frank Howard and the Liberty Family, made up of Edward (Dad), Frank, Ted, and Harold (Lefty). These individuals domineered the Boston tattoo scene from their shops in Scollay Square until the practice was banned in 1962. The ban lasted until 2000 when it was declared unconstitutional.
The items in this collection provide insight into Bostons nonconformist tattoo culture and the people, businesses, and communities surrounding the trade, as well as the influence of Bostons working class who drove the demand and shaped modern tattooing culture. The history of tattooing in Boston, which spans from the art forms early days as a circus sideshow spectacle to the urban renewal projects and destruction of Scollay Square, is also indicative of the development and evolution of the city itself. Not all items displayed as part of the exhibit are within this collection; some materials were on loan for the length of the exhibit and were subsequently returned
Bray, D., & Hodges, M. (2020). Loud, Naked, & in Three Colors: The Liberty Brothers & the History of Tattooing in Boston. Rake House.
Condon, L., & Solz, J. (Summer 2022). Loud, Naked, & in Three Colors: A behind-the-scenes look at an exhibition. Historic New England Magazine, 23(1), 12-14.
Kahn, E. (2021, October 5). How Historians of Modern Tattooing Explore a Long-Hidden Past. Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/tattoo-historians-and-archives.
Bert Grimm Tattoo Museum. Kansas City, Missouri.
Lyle Tuttle Tattoo Art Collection. San Francisco, California.
The collection is arranged in 3 series, and in subseries as follows:
Series I. Papers of Annie Howard (1851-1911) and Frank Howard (1857-1925), 1898-1920, undated
Subseries A: Ephemera, 1898-1910
Subseries B: Original art, 1905-1915
Subseries C: Photographic materials, circa 1890, undated
Series II. Papers of the Liberty family, 1910-1966
Subseries A: Ephemera, 1910-1966
Subseries B: Original art, circa 1920, circa 1950
Subseries C: Photographic materials, 1942-1958
Series III. Miscellaneous materials, 2020-2022, undated
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact [email protected].
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