New York World's Fair: Ballantine Inn

BALLANTINE'S

ALE & BEER

America's Finest Since 1840

CELEBRATE THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1939-40 WORLD'S FAIRS
Look for more World's Fair Postcards on the Postcardy Blog on Fridays.
To view past World's Fair posts, click here or on the exposition label.

Prohibition in the United States and Canada

Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide Constitutional ban on the sale, production, importation, and transportation of alcoholic beverages that remained in place from 1920 to 1933. It was promoted by "dry" crusaders movement, led by rural Protestants and social Progressives in the Democratic and Republican parties, and was coordinated by the Anti-Saloon League. Prohibition was mandated under the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution … Nationwide Prohibition ended with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, on December 5, 1933. (Source: Wikipedia)

The next two postcards offer a humorous view of the prohibition era in the United States.

The next two postcards are from the time (circa 1929-1930) when prohibition was still in effect throughout the United States, but had ended in most Canadian provinces.

Prohibition in Canada was not as long-lasting or widespread as it was in the U. S. National prohibition was part of the War Measures Act in 1918. After the war, alcohol regulations were primarily a provincial responsibility. The provinces repealed their prohibition laws at different times, mostly during the 1920s. The table below shows the dates that prohibition was in effect in the different provinces of Canada. (Source: Wikipedia)

Note: The Sepia Saturday prompt image this week is a photograph taken in Alberta 1916--the same year that prohibition was enacted in Alberta.

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Thanksgiving, Football, & Beer

Football is a Thanksgiving tradition in the United States. I am not really a sports fan, but I am a "Thanksgiving Girl" (I was born on Thanksgiving) and a beer lover.

This is a three-panel postcard advertising Aurora Brewing Co. beers. The image above shows the card when it is closed. When you open the cover part shown below, a Thanksgiving menu is revealed.

Click on the images below if you want to more easily read the text.

The menu seems rather elaborate. "There is nothing lacking" in this menu, which naturally includes A . B. C. Beer. I never would have thought of fried smelts as a Thanksgiving treat. However, the menu is quite similar to the  Thanksgiving at the White House, Circa 1887 menu, which also included fried smelts.

When fully open, the card has a message about supporting local enterprises. "You cannot get a purer, more wholesome or more satisfying beer any where than you get right here at home under the Aurora Brewing So.'s labels."

The center panel has a price list and a half-size postcard that can be used for ordering. You could have "Deliveries made in plain wagons if desired." (You might not want your neighbors to know you drank beer!)

The panel on the right has a message about the health benefits in A. B. C. Beer. You would never get away with this kind of advertising now!

A. B. C. Beer is a boon to the tired housewife--the run-down business man--every ailing member of the family. It sharpens the appetite--builds up the impoverished blood--imparts new life and vigor to the whole system. Your physician will advise the use of it.

When completely closed, the back of the card has a space for a mailing address and a stamp.

Here are views of the three panels as they look when when the card is open.

The following information about the Aurora Brewery is from Tavern Trove:

Trade names for the brewery at 430 River Street, Aurora, IL.
J.O. McInhill, Aurora Brewery 1874-1877
J.V. McInhill 1877-1884
J.P. Dostal (Addressed at 212 North River Street) 1886-1890
Aurora Brewing Co. 1890-1920
Brewery operations shut down by National Prohibition in 1920
Readdressed to 430 North River Street circa 1934
Reopened as the Aurora brewing Co. in 1934
Closed in 1939
Products:
Aurora Beer  1890 - 1920
Aurora Beer  1933 - 1939

For some history of Thanksgiving football, see Football on Thanksgiving: A Brief But Comprehensive History.

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Gluek Brewing Company - Minneapolis

German immigrant Gottlieb Gluek started the Mississippi Brewing Company in 1855. The brewery was located on the bank of the Mississippi River in what would become Minneapolis. The name was soon changed to the Gluek Brewing Company. The original brewery burned in 1880 and was rebuilt.

G. Heileman bought the brewery in 1964 and tore it down in 1966.

St. Patrick's Day -- Guinness Beer

Guinness is an Irish beer, especially popular on St. Patrick's Day. This Guinness Beer postcard is an odd size: 2-7/8" x 5-3/4". Its age is unknown — possibly 1970s. Under the picture is printed "GUINNESS STOUT Imported by — THE GUINNESS-HARP CORP., NEW YORK, N.Y."