Throwback Thursday: The Roaring Twenties Re-Visit Seattle

The 1920’s marked a period of Prohibition in our country, and Seattle was certainly no exception. Although, where there were temperance lobbyists and suffragists, there were also flappers and bootleggers, and the establishments in which they privately reveled. Like many cities throughout the country, Seattle and the surrounding Puget Sound region became hubs where speakeasies and secret drinking establishments lived, and The Roaring Twenties swung on. We see the remnants of this time past in Georgetown saloons, the Seattle Underground Tour, and 1920’s-inspired bars spattered throughout Capitol Hill.

A young woman gazes out over Seattle’s Portage Bay as she listens to a radio, which were still new in the 1920s. Circa 1923. PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, MOHAI 

Now, we can get an even closer look at the era. From April 2 through August 23, the MOHAI brings the story of Prohibition vividly to life in their new “American Spirits” exhibit, featuring photographs, films, artifacts, and a re-created speakeasy.

Here are a few photographs from the MOHAI archives, displaying Seattleites roaring through the Jazz Age in full Prohibition fashion.

A farewell sign in the window of a liquor store. Circa 1916. PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, MOHAI

Roy Olmstead was one of the largest and most successful bootleggers in King County. Circa 1925. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, MOHAI.

The University of Washington’s “Junior Girls’ Vodvil” presents a jazz revue. Circa 1929. PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, MOHAI 

Olmstead was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to four years in prison. Circa 1926. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, MOHAI