Manhattan Oases

Manhattan Oases
by Al Hirschfeld
Adopted for Conservation by
Charles and Candace Cowan
on November 16, 2016
Cover, Manhattan Oases.

Manhattan oases : New York's 1932 speak-easies

By Al Hirschfeld. New York : E.P. Dutton, 1932.

To try the Rock and Rye at the Dixie Club, you’d have to find the false front, but don’t worry, no secret password is necessary for this speak easy. Undertaking “intense personal research," Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) documents the portraits, anecdotes, and cocktail recipes – some appetizing, some less so –from notable New York City “speaks” during Prohibition. Included is the sleepy original Stonewall Inn, better known today for the 1969 Stonewall uprising in the struggle for gay civil rights, as is O’Leary’s, where a hobo could get soup, a cigarette, and a place to sleep on the floor for free (but they charged for the booze.) Hirschfeld’s wit and talent for finding characters in everyday life are put to their best use in this valuable record of the city’s bygone social hubs. Famous for his caricatures in the New York Times, Hirschfeld is considered one of the most important American portrait artists and was celebrated for his warm personality and sculptural, cinematic line-drawings. Includes "a gentleman's guide to bars and beverages" by Gordon Kahn and an introduction by Heywood Broun.

Condition and Treatment: 

This volume is clothbound and from the early 1900s with a slipcover that is in disrepair. The multiple tears are areas of loss. Conservators will repair the torn slipcover and create a custom enclosure.

Discover more about this book in our Catalog.

Adoption Type: Preserve for the Future