In the Prohibition Era, researching John Held, Jr.'s,Map of New York Night Clubs must have been a labor of love. The map, we are told, resulted "from actual survey by and under the direction of Lip Stick." The New Yorker's nightlife reporter Lois Long, who wrote under the name Lipstick, therefore must greatly have assisted Held in this endeavor. She was married to New Yorker cartoonist Peter Arno—no stranger himself to the speakeasy scene—from 1927 to 1931, the latter being the year in which this Manhattan map appeared in The Works of John Held, Jr.
The above image is from the Old Map Gallery, which dates it c. 1930 and does not have a copy for sale. There is a copy on eBay which has been removed from Held's 1931 book.
John Held, Jr. eBay listing accessed February 16, 2026
Happy New Year, even if I am a little late in my self-imposed deadline!
J. C. Leyendecker's cover art for the first issue of The Saturday Evening Post to appear in the year 1920 shows a winged baby concealing a bottle of alcohol as he welcomes in the New Year. This particular year saw the onset of Prohibition, the defiance of which was in many ways to define American social life for a decade. The title Baby New Year and Prohibition Camel comes from the Post's website. It had been the cartoonist Thomas Nast who chose the camel, which drinks only water, to represent the Prohibition Party. Leyendecker put it to good use as we prepared for a bit of a dry spell.
J. C. Leyendecker Original art The Saturday Evening Post, January 3, 1920
J. C. Leyendecker Framed original art The Saturday Evening Post, January 3, 1920
Here's an illustration mystery for the ages: How on earth could this artwork, which is very specific to the New Year celebration of 1920, bear a framing label dated 1917?
The bidding was already strong some five days prior to the November 14 sale of Illustration Art at Heritage Auctions where this original art would be sold.
J. C. Leyendecker Heritage Auctions listing accessed November 9, 2025
January 7, 2026 Update: In the comments section, John Sunday observes that the framing of this piece dates from 2017, and not 1917. I'll leave my error in place as a reminder that I have got to think fourth-dimensionally.
There's a seventh design, "Oh You Kid" (as in the popular 1909 song "I Love, I Love, I Love My Wife—But Oh! You Kid!") and further color variants of other designs:
John Held, Jr., was a leading illustrator of the 1920s, which means he was a leading illustrator of the Prohibition era. This made him an obvious choice to illustrate The Saloon in the Home, or A Garden of Rumblossoms, a humorous 1930 compendium of writings extolling the virtues of temperance with interspersed recipes for mixed drinks. The book's illustrations are in Held's linoleum block print style familiar to readers of The New Yorker; they are here promoted on the dust jacket as many so-called "lavish engravings." The Prohibition era came to an end in 1933, by which time Held's popularity was in serious decline. Today the book is uncommon. A copy was sold at auction yesterday:
Before the sale, this lot was given an estimate of $300 to $500. Online bidding started at $150.
The Saloon in the Home PBA Galleries Auctions & Appraisers lot of January 12, 2023
I wrapped up my Al Hirschfeld posts neatly and tied them with a bow on Sunday well in time for his birthday, which fell yesterday, on Monday. Yet after ten years of writing this blog, I continue to be surprised by the high quality work that comes my way when I least expect it. By now, I should know better and be ready for it. This time it was Scott Burns who sent me his copy of another early Hirschfeld book with yet another magnificent self-portrait. But that's not all. Scott writes:
I’m probably late to the party but here’s another nice self-portrait of Hirschfeld. His first book Manhattan Oases (1932), unfortunately not in the best condition. Also something you don’t see often. A color insert in the May 3, 1943 issue of The Hollywood Reporter promoting the MGM musical “Cabin in the Sky” featuring Lena Horne and Duke Ellington.
You're not late to the party at all, Scott. Hirschfeld's work is worth remembering on his birthday because it's worth remembering every day. I'm pleased to continue the Hirschfeld celebration beyond his birthday with these images.
As a historical note, Prohibition was still in force in 1932 when Hirschfeld published Manhattan Oases, his book on speakeasies. But it was getting old.
It's evident that Hirschfeld's movie work is every bit as vivid and expressive as his theater work:
Al Hirschfeld "Cabin in the Sky" (1943)
Jim Henry's Paradise
"Cabin in the Sky" (1943)
Note: I am grateful to Scott Burns for sharing scans of his wonderful Hirschfeld book. There's nothing like the posts of the last few days to convince me that I should have devoted some of the 1980s to hunting down Hirschfeld with old books for signing. But I was busy then, as I recall, and that kind of advance planning is really not my way, even today. For the record, I also think the "Cabin in the Sky" art is fantastic and my thanks extend to that as well.
In 1927, amidst the backdrop of Prohibition and its discontents, Frank Shaycollected My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions. The book is "magnificently illuminated" by the cartoonist John Held, Jr., showing off his deliberately old-fashioned woodblock style. What caught my eye right off was the bold frontispiece illustration, The Rumrunner's Sister-in-Law. This had been Held's very first New Yorker illustration, appearing in the issue of April 11, 1925.
The Rumrunner's Sister-in-Law John Held, Jr. The New Yorker, April 11, 1925, page 5
An illustrator of Held's popularity gets his name to appear with the same prominence as the author's.
The book is marred by a hand-written dedication, which may have meant something in 1927, and by numerous emendations to the songs.
The tipped-in photo purports to show Held "At 3 A.M. in the Roaring Twenties." He was a night owl, evidently.
The Table of Contents is illustrated with a detail from Bygone Days, below.
The previous owner's notations document some variation of the song, perhaps based on a recording. The published lyrics highlight the mainstream acceptance of racist language at the time.
Variations on such lyrics were common:
"Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield"
Imperial Quartet, 1915
The Curse of the Opera House demonstrates how unsatisfying it is to look at a vertical image horizontally.
There, that's better:
Image added January 17, 2021
More notations to song lyrics:
Bygone Days shows what nostalgia for drinking looked like in the 1920s.
John Held, Jr. eBay listing accessed January 13, 2021
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
%20jcl.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
.webp)
