A Night Club Map of Harlem, E. Simms Campbell 1932
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Step back in time with this iconic map created in 1932 by the celebrated African American cartoonist E. Simms Campbell that portrays nightclubs, restaurants, artists and entertainers during the Harlem Renaissance.
‘The stars indicate the places that are open all night. The only important omission is the location of the various speakeasies but since there are about 500 of them, you won’t have much trouble,’ he notes.
The map illustrates a wide range of Harlem hotspots popular in the 1920s and ‘30s and depicts the Cotton Club, Small’s Paradise, the Savoy Ballroom, the Radium Room, Lafayette Theatre, Club Hot-Cha, the Log Cabin, Connie’s Inn and the Theatrical Grill.
Popular dances of the time such as the Lindy Hop, the Bump and Snakehips (described as a weird dance originated by Earl Tucker) are featured as well as musicians Cab Calloway, Harlan Lattimore, Don Redman, Bill’ Bojangles’ Robinson and Don Redman.
Campbell also noted some of his favorite spots such as Tillie’s- good for fried chicken – and Gladys Clam House, whose owner Gladys Bentley wore a tuxedo and a high hat.
There are also cartoon vignettes of various street scenes including the Reefer Man selling ‘Marahuana cigarettes’ at 2 for $25, a peanut seller and groups of white New York socialites who traveled up to Harlem in their finery to take part in the vibrant nightlife.
E. Simms Campbell’s Nightclub Map of Harlem appeared in 1933 in the first issue of the short-lived Manhattan magazine, ‘a weekly for wakeful New Yorkers.’
Campbell’s work also appeared in Cosmopolitan, Life, The New Yorker and Playboy. He joined Esquire magazine at its founding in 1933 and was its arts editor for 25 years.
Campbell’s map was largely forgotten until singer-songwriter and bandleader Cab Calloway (1907-1994) reproduced it in his 1976 autobiography, Of Minnie the Moocher and Me, writing that the map gave ‘ a better idea of what Harlem was like in those days that I can give you with all these words.’
In 2020, Campbell (1906-1971) was posthumously inducted into the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame for his extraordinary talent and creative achievements in the comic book industry.
All printed in USA.
