Tag Archives: Roaring 20’s

The Speakeasy

Posted on June 30, 2010 by revolutionaryrob

The 21 Club in New York City was a Speakeasy in the 1920’s during Prohibition.  Their website has some interesting information about the wine cellar:

Perhaps the most elaborately disguised vault in New York City, ’21’s Wine Cellar was built to be invisible. Behind several smoked hams that hung from the basement ceiling and a shelved wall filled with canned goods, stood a perfectly camouflaged 2 1/2 ton door that appeared to be part of the wall.  Opened only by inserting a slender 18″ meat skewer through one of many cracks in the cement wall, the secret door silently slid back to reveal ’21’s most coveted treasure: two thousand cases of wine.

There were apparently many raids at the club but the staff was so good at keeping an eye out that they always saw the police coming and hid everything just in time.  The 21 club has a section about its history on their website at http://www.21club.com/web/onyc/wine_cellar_history.jsp

Posted in 1920-1932 | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Speakeasy

Flappers

Posted on June 29, 2010 by wrosas

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/3svvCj4yhYc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]The flappers of the 1920s marked the beginning of a revolution of women. During this time, women ditched their conservative feminine looks and went for clothing, makeup and hairstyles that were a far cry from the norm and considered inappropriate at the time. Young women asserted their freedom by voting, driving cars, dancing, drinking, smoking cigarettes, staying out late, and going to “petting parties”. 

Flappers of the 1920s are possibly best known for their style. At a time when corsets, long hair and long gowns were the norm, flappers introduced a more boyish look. Young women showed off their legs in short skirts, chopped their hair off into short bobs and wore excessive amounts of makeup. Kohl-rimmed eyes and bee-stung lips set the flappers apart from the rest. Accessories included newsboy caps, cloche hats, layered necklaces and horn-rimmed glasses. High heels came into fashion and dresses were often drop-waisted and knee-length to show off just enough leg when flappers danced. 

This video depicts what life was like for a flapper.

Posted in 1920-1932, Cultural History, June 28 assignment, Social History, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments