LOUD, NAKED, & IN THREE COLORS

A history of tattooing in Boston emphasizes the role of the Liberty family.

Since the 1970s, Lyle Tuttle (“tattooer to the stars”) has been accumulating art, artifacts, and ephemera of American tattoo history. A centerpiece of his collection and the focus of this well-crafted book by Bray and Hodges is the story of Boston’s Liberty family. Showcasing Tuttle’s collection, in addition to oral histories and secondary source research, the first half of this work uses the Liberty family as a lens to explore the wider history of tattooing in Boston during the 20th century. The volume begins in the “carnivalesque neighborhood” of Scollay Square and Edward “Dad” Liberty’s forging of a “tattooing dynasty” through “blunt enterprise” and a willingness “to skirt the edges of middle-class social norms.” Woven into the history of the Liberty family is a broader account of the evolution of tattooing, from the “Freaks and Curiosities” niche of the early decades of the 20th century to its broadening appeal among “soldiers, sailors, civilian patriots, and draftees” during World War II. The book’s latter half turns out to be as well-researched and captivating as the narrative overview of the Liberty family tree. The second section features the family’s catalog of original art and other “designs painted on sheets, boards, books, window shades, and scraps of repurposed paper.” In over 70 pages, readers are treated to the sheer diversity of the catalog that spans from topless women and crucifixes to highly detailed East Asian–inspired watercolors and brash “Folk-meets-Americana-and-Seamanship” imagery popularized during World War II. This catalog is complemented with historical photographs, signs, advertisements, memorabilia, and newspaper clippings that make for not only an engaging read, but also a gorgeous, unique book best suited for coffee-table displays. Despite the volume’s many strengths, some readers may long for additional editorial commentary in the catalog beyond the basic descriptions provided. Moreover, an extension of the history of tattoos into the 21st century, when ink has become extremely ubiquitous across sociocultural lines, would have created a more complete timeline.

A remarkably thoughtful and elegant history of Boston’s place in tattoo lore.