What's A Blind Tiger

What's A Blind Tiger

During the Prohibition of the 1920's the United States of America went through a change. As alcohol became illegal, the alcohol consumption grew. Many viewed alcohol as a way in which people became worse people. It was the cause of crime, bad behaviour, family problems and much more...in the eyes of some. But not everyone felt this way.

in 1919, Andrew Volstead passed the Volstead Act, in which the 18th Amendment would be enforced. This amendment prohibited the production, sale, and transport of "intoxicating liquors", however it did not define "intoxicating liquors" or provide penalties. It granted both the federal government and the states the power to enforce the ban by "appropriate legislation." This threw the country into a craze. It wasn't long before gangsters were running liquor and distilling their own moonshine.

It seemed as though many people were upset by the ban on liquor & this included many politicians, law enforcers and of course the public. There were lots of ways to get around the law, such as being prescribed small amounts of alcohol by the local Pharmacy, but nothing really helped and as a result, secret bars started appearing.

These secret bars were usually hidden out the way, often behind secret doors in barbershops, pharmacies and laundry shops. These bars quickly became known as "Speakeasies" named after rowdy guests being asked to "speak easy" by one of the establishments staff.

Many Speakeasies used legal fronts, to allow guests to drink. The purchase of a ticket to an event allowed the attendee to have one drink with their ticket, and as a result wild events were thrown. Rumours have it that these bars would bring in a blind pig or tiger for guests to see, and this was the event needed to get the lawmen out the picture. Because of this, these speakeasies were known as Blind Tigers or Blind Pigs.

We created designs around this concept as a way to show that you can do whatever you put your mind to. The few rose up against the many, and put a country back on track for the rights they wanted. Despite the questionable history to this era, the strength in unity grew more than ever.


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