Prohibition era aesthetic

Drinking didn't stop in the United States from 1920 to 1933 — it just went underground. Author Daniel Okrent discusses the lasting cultural and political impact of Prohibition in his book, Last Call.

Stick ‘em up!: A cop with a gun. Watching too many Jimmy Cagney movies as a child made me think a gangster’s life as a possible career option. I could picture myself running a numbers racket, or selling moonshine, riding the running board while blasting the competition. Even the gangsters’ names were exotic: Al Capone, Bugsy Moran, John Dillinger, Tony Accardo. Then I turned six—discovered soccer and the fancy footwork of Jimmy “Jinky” Johnstone and Harry Hood which made me think playing for…

Ninety years ago, there were hundreds of illegal drinking spots in New York, and the speakeasies - which were often just a hidden room with barely drinkable booze - were mostly run by gangsters.

Speakeasies, illegal taverns that sell alcoholic beverages, came to an all-time high during the Prohibition era in the United States from 1920 to 1933.

The money, cigars, and liquor show the lavish lifestyle that gangsters in this era lived. They made most of their money from the illegal distribution of alcohol during the prohibition. Many of the gangsters had to launder their money to evade being caught by the FBI.

Source: Photograph, speakeasy In 1920 Prohibition (the ban of the sale, production, or consumption of alcohol) was enacted in most Canadian provinces. As a result, private clubs called speakeasies became popular places to socialize, smoke, and illegally drink.