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Images of 44 nostalgic Speakeasies, clandestine bars of the Prohibition era in America

Underground drinking spots, known as speakeasies, became trendy hidden venues during the Prohibition years in America, significantly contributing to the rise of the Jazz era.

, and ASMedia

2025 September 23 . 4:35 PM

2 min read

Thirty-four historic snapshots of subterranean bars from the era of American Prohibition,... — Thirty-four historic snapshots of subterranean bars from the era of American Prohibition, 1920s-1930s.

Images of 44 nostalgic Speakeasies, clandestine bars of the Prohibition era in America

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The Prohibition era, spanning from 1920 to 1933, was a time of great change and intrigue in America. This period, instituted by President Woodrow Wilson during wartime to preserve grain for food production, saw the rise of illicit bars and clubs known as speakeasies, and the flourishing of organized crime.

One of the most significant figures during this era was Charles "Lucky" Luciano, who found success in New York by bringing together Italian and Jewish mobsters to control the city's bootlegging industry. His counterpart, Al Capone, a notorious gangster, made his fortune dealing illegal alcohol and was known to laud himself as a contemporary Robin Hood. Capone's infamous 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago, where seven rivals were gunned down by his gangsters, is still remembered today. At the height of his activity, Capone was raking in tens of millions of dollars every year from his illegal booze business.

Speakeasies ranged from rough dive bars to lavish, extravagant clubs with tableside service. They defined pre-Depression America, influencing images such as flapper girls, mob bosses, and Jazz-Age noir. By the end of the 1920s, there were more than 32,000 speakeasies in New York alone.

Organized crime gangs seized the opportunity to thrive during Prohibition, particularly in the transportation and distribution of alcohol. Arnold Rothstein, who fixed the 1919 World Series, profited from importing Canadian booze across the Great Lakes, down the Hudson, and into New York. Some gangsters, like Meyer Lansky, avoided legal consequences by wiring money to Swiss brokers to cover their tracks.

The push for Prohibition came from various quarters, including the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, the Anti-Saloon League, factory owners, evangelical Protestants, and a large number of women who felt that alcohol ruined families and marriages. However, the United States government struggled to enforce Prohibition, with the IRS and later the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prohibition taking on the responsibility.

By the time Prohibition was repealed in 1933, gangs and gang leaders had accumulated significant stores of cash that allowed them to continue living extravagantly well into the Great Depression. The Prohibition era, despite its flaws and the hardships it caused, left an indelible mark on American history and culture.