1926 Judge Satirical Map of the United States During Prohibition

Prohibition 'Relief' from Coast to Coast.

This is a 1926 'Judge Map Co.' satirical map of the United States issued at the peak of Prohibition. The map pokes fun at the explosion of bootlegging and speakeasies throughout the United States, jokingly calling them 'relief'. Each state and some cities are renamed with an alcohol-related pun. Judge Magazine - a popular American satirical weekly published from the 1880s to the 1940s - held a generally critical and mocking attitude toward Prohibition, especially during its height in the 1920s. Through cartoons, editorials, and satire, Judge often portrayed the temperance movement and Prohibition laws as naïve, hypocritical, or socially disruptive.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the continental United States (since Alaska and Hawaii had not been made states yet). Alcohol related puns identify each state: 'Rye-oming', 'Arfizzona', Gin-a-Soda', 'Ale-a-Bama', 'Nevadry', 'New Cork', 'Ge-Orgy', and 'Floryeda'. A handful of cities are given the same treatment, including 'Hicago', 'Ginneapolis', 'Soaklahoma City', and 'Den Beer'. The 'Grand Drunk Railroad' stretches from coast to coast, with a few curves, bends, and kinks along the way. Even the Great Lakes have been renamed: 'Lake Subeerior', 'Lake Mish-Hic-On', 'Lake You're On', 'Lake Beery', and Lake Onateario'. The scale is in 'Smiles' with '100 Smiles to 1 Gallon'.

Prohibition: The Great Experiment

Prohibition in the United States (1920-1933) was a nationwide constitutional ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, enacted through the 18th Amendment and enforced by the Volstead Act. Intended to curb alcoholism, reduce crime, and strengthen public morals, it instead triggered a vast illicit liquor industry, fueling the rise of speakeasies, bootlegging networks, and powerful organized crime syndicates such as those led by Al Capone. While some rural and religious communities embraced the reform, many urban Americans openly defied it, and uneven enforcement bred corruption and public cynicism. The policy ultimately proved unpopular and ineffective, especially amid the hardships of the Great Depression, leading to its repeal by the 21st Amendment in 1933 - the first and only time the U.S. has reversed a constitutional amendment.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by the 'Judge Map Co' and published in an issue of Judge in 1926. We note a single cataloged example which is part of the collection at the Osher Map Library.

Source

Judge, August 7, 1926.    

Judge (1881 - 1947) was a weekly satirical magazine published in the United States. The first issue was first printed on October 29, 1881 as The Judge and was only sixteen pages long. Judge was launched by James Albert Wales, Frank Tousey, and George H. Jessop, who had previously worked for its rival magazine Puck. In the mid-1880s, William J. Arkell purchased the magazine, which was having difficulty competing with Puck; at this time the magazine's title was shorn of its definite article. Arkell, taking advantage of his considerable wealth, persuaded cartoonists Eugene Zimmermann, Frank Beard, and Bernhard Gillam to leave Puck and join the staff at Judge. As Arkell was a supporter of the Republican Party, Judge soon became a platform for criticizing the Democratic administration of Grover Cleveland, which was blamed for the Panic of 1893, among other issues. With support from the Republican Party, Judge saw a rise in popularity during the 1880s and 90s, surpassing Puck in both content and circulation. Judge also widely supported the candidacy of William McKinley, largely through the work of cartoonists Victor Gillam and Grant E. Hamilton. Judge reached its peak circulation of around 100,000 by 1912. One of its former editors, Harold Ross, used his experience at the magazine to launch his own publication, The New Yorker in 1925, which quickly began to compete with Judge. Due to the success of The New Yorker and the Great Depression, Judge became a monthly is 1932 and ceased circulation in 1947.

Condition

Good. Wear along original centerfold. Slight loss where previously stapled into an issue of Judge.

References

Osher Map Library OML-1926-177. OCLC 1178877951.