During Prohibition, Harlem Night Clubs Kept the Party Going
A witty 1932 cartoon map shows where to find famous musicians, gambling policemen, and a guy selling marijuana.
Prohibition may have put a damper on alcohol sales in much of the United States in the 1920s and early ’30s, but it didn’t stop the party up in Harlem. The map above, created in 1932, shows a thriving nightlife centered on New York jazz venues like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom. The map is filled with caricatures of famous musicians and dubious denizens of the nighttime scene, as well as helpful tips for partygoers.
“It’s pretty fantastic,” says Melissa Barton, curator of drama and prose for the Collection of American Literature at Yale University’s Beinecke Library. “It’s just packed with details.”
The map advises readers that “nothing happens before 2 a.m.” at Club Hot-Cha, and suggests they ”ask for
