Jazz Age Juxtaposition: Prohibition Era in Louisiana

Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin invites the public to view “Jazz Age Juxtaposition: Prohibition Era in Louisiana,” an exhibit examining the tumultuous era that prohibited the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol. The exhibit opens March 28 and will run through August 19. “Jazz Age Juxtaposition” brings visitors back to the time of flappers, bootleggers, speakeasies and rum-runners while focusing on how the state handled this “noble experiment.”

From the onset of the 18th Amendment, Louisiana proved to be an uninterested partner in prohibition. Much of the southern part of the state rejected the prohibition of alcohol and quickly discovered ways to circumvent the law. Then Governor Huey P. Long famously responded that the state was not doing anything to enforce prohibition when asked. By 1926 the federal government stepped in to enforce the law through liquor raids and intercepting ships carrying liquor.

There are three events scheduled in conjunction with the exhibit:

Prohibition Era: 1920s Fascinator Workshop
Sunday, May 7, 1 - 3:30 p.m.

Author’s Talk and Lecture on “The Hidden History of Louisiana’s Jazz Age”
Sunday, June 4, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

“Snake Charmers” of the Prohibition Era lecture by Sally Asher
Tuesday, June 20, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.