Harold “Lefty” Liberty

Following World War II, Ed Liberty’s middle son, Harold (1906–1985), left a manufacturing job to join the family business. His tattooing shop, located over The Tasty, a popular burger joint, became a fixture in Boston’s Scollay Square. In October 1961, Harold learned that his shop—along with the entire neighborhood—was to be demolished to make way for the Government Center redevelopment project. Months later, the state of Massachusetts restricted tattooing to qualified physicians, effectively outlawing Boston’s tattoo shops. Harold Liberty, Scollay Square’s last tattooer, shuttered his shop in April 1962. A year later, Harold opened a tattoo shop on the front porch of his new home in Salem, New Hampshire. He tattooed there for nine years, retiring in 1973.