Establishments providing drinks and entertainment have existed in many forms throughout history and across cultures. The beginnings of the nightclub as we know it emerged in the 19th century with saloons and bars of Western industrial nations. By the early 20th century, nightclubs were becoming increasingly popular and began incorporating larger acts such as burlesque dance routines, magic shows, musical performances and other forms of live entertainment.
In the United States, this came to a halt to a certain extent with the era of Prohibition. It was during the Prohibition era that jazz developed as a popular musical form. It had been accepted in mainstream culture by the time Prohibition ended in the 1930s, and the swing/big band era began. This period lasted until the early 1950s, when rock and roll began to take center stage.
In the post-World War II social environment, Americans were increasingly able to partake in more leisurely activities, especially teen youths, who really came into their own as a cultural force in the 1950s. The music was an expansion of the jazz and swing eras, adding more energetic movements and less-subtle sexuality.
The nightclubs of this time began offering music as the primary form of entertainment, focusing on emerging acts in rhythm and blues, blues, and rock and roll. This was the transition between nightclubs as venues for a variety of entertainment to today’s clubs, which cater more exclusively to music, dancing, drinking and mating.
Here below is a set of vintage postcards that shows what the inside of bars and nightclubs in the United States looked like in the mid-20th century.
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| Arizona. Safari Hotel, Scottsdale |
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| Arizona. Royal Road’s Victorian Room, Cocktail Bar, Nogales |
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| Arizona. Superstition Inn, Apache Junction |
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| Arizona. Wahweap Lodge, Page |
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| California. Brookdale Lodge Burl Room Rustic Cocktail Lounge, Santa Cruz County |
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| California. Cirque Room Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco |
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| California. Crown Room Cocktail Lounge, Fairmont Hotel and Towers, San Francisco |
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| California. El Cortez Hotel Starlite Roof, San Diego |
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| California. Mermaid Room Cocktail Lounge, Fresno Hacienda |
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| California. Sierra Room, Nicely’s Restaurant, Lee Vining |
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| California. Tonga at the Fairmont, San Francisco |
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| Florida. Blue Horizon Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant on the ocean at 89th Street, Miami Beach |
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| Florida. Bob Darch Bonanza Room, Escape Hotel, Ft Lauderdale |
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| Florida. Castaways Wreck Bar on the ocean at 163rd Street, Miami Beach |
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| Florida. Castaways Wreck Bar on the ocean at 163rd Street, Miami Beach |
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| Florida. Club Wally Musical Bar and Night Club, Miami |
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| Florida. Gold Room Ridgewood Hotel, Daytona Beach |
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| Florida. Kon Tiki Bar in Harris’ Imperial Lounge, Pompano Beach |
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| Florida. Rum House, Galt Ocean Mile Hotel, Fort Lauderdale |
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| Florida. Starlight Room, Belleview-Biltmore, Belleair |
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| Florida. Sun Castle Club and Motor Hotel, Pompano Beach |
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| Florida. The Everglades Roof 18 stories above Miami |
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| Illinois. Coq d’Or Cocktail Lounge, Drake Hotel, Chicago |
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| Illinois. Stouffer’s Top of the Rock Prudential Building, Chicago |
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| Maine. Eastland Motor Hotel, Portland |
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| Massachusetts. Avaloch Five Reasons Steak and Ale House, Lenox |
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| Massachusetts. Harborside Inn, Martha’s Vineyard |
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| Massachusetts. Merry-Go-Round Lounge, Sheraton-Plaza Hotel, Boston |
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| Michigan. Devon Gables Starlit Cocktail Lounge, Bloomfield |
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| Nevada. Top O’ The Strip, Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas |
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| New Hampshire. Eastern Slope Inn, North Conway |
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| New York. Nevele Country Club Mardi Gras at the Safari Lounge, Ellenville |
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| New York. Purple Tree Lounge, Manager Hotel, Rochester |
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| New York. Purple Tree Manger Vanderbilt Hotel |
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| Pennsylvania. Gaslight Lounge Fernwood in the Pocono Mountains, Bushkill |
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| Pennsylvania. Mount Airy Lodge, Club Suzanne, Mount Pocono |
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| Pennsylvania. Rock Lodge, Bavarian Room, Lake Harmony |
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| Washington DC. Manager Annapolis Hotel |
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| Washington DC. Manger Hamilton Hotel Cocktail Lounge |
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| Wyoming. Stockade Room, Jackson Lake Lodge, Teton National Park, Moran |