Bootlegger’s Map of the United States

Colorful 1975 reprint of the famous Bootlegger’s Map of the United States.

Originally issued in 1926 during the heyday of the Prohibition Era, this satirical map was drawn by cartoonist Edward Gerstell McCandlish of the Washington Post and pokes fun at the widely-derided legislation. The image was an immediate hit, and was republished a number of times by anti-prohibition campaigns and breweries. Although Prohibition officially ended in 1933, the humorous puns and illustrations – “Bar-Harbor” and “Port-Land”, “Mash-Ville”, “Vir-GIN-ia,” “Booze” and “Swallow Swallow” to name a few – had a lasting impact.

This particular version was issued in 1975, nearly 50 years after the map was first distributed, by a company known for their cocktail publications. A touch of color adds welcome vibrancy to the well-known image and makes unpacking the various comical references all the more fun!