Mar 20 at 10:30 AM - Sale 2697 -

Sale 2697 - Lot 180

Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500
(ENTERTAINMENT.) Group of 75 social club invitations from 1930s Los Angeles. 75 printed items, most of them 4 pages, about 6 x 4 inches; most showing signs of removal from a scrapbook on their final pages, a few with other minor wear. Los Angeles, 1930-1942, bulk 1933-1939
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Additional Details

These invitations were issued by 32 different social clubs, almost all of them operated by and for the African-American community in Los Angeles. Although they date from the heart of the Great Depression, most of them are elegantly printed, and the sheer volume suggests that a lively social calendar persisted in spite of economic hardship.

Many of these clubs held their events at the Elks Auditorium on South Central Avenue, a sprawling concert hall which hosted the top jazz acts, and was said to be the largest Black-owned building in Los Angeles. All events are in Los Angeles or do not name their locations, with only one exception: the Excelsior Social Club of Wichita, KS.

Many of the invitations list the club officers, and sometimes their members. Only two of the invitations are inscribed to a recipient: the 1934 Orchid Girls and 1936 Lone Wolf Social Club, both to Mr. and Mrs. Noble Crouch. Noble Roosevelt Crouch (1903-1990) was born in Wichita and appears in the 1930 and 1940 census as a chauffeur, with his wife Louise. He is listed as a member or officer on the invitations of the Beau Brummel Club.

The clubs include: Alpha Bowling Social Club (4); Alta Qualidad; Antique Art Club (2); Baron's Social Club; Beau Brummel Club (7); Bridgettes; The Club Unique (3); Eight O'Clock Supper Club; Excelsior Social Club (Wichita, KS) (2); Fifth Ave. Girls Club; The Gardenia Girls; The Gay Spinsters and Matrons; The Hedonic Club (2); The Jolly 16 Club; The La Bonita Social Club (2); La Jovials; L.A. Tamers Club (2); The La Monde Social Club; Les Maítres (2); The Lone Wolf Social Club (2); The Lonely Bachelors; Ma-Po-Fi Social Club (3); Marechal Niel Club (2); The Orchid Girls Club (4); Pal O' Mine Club (6); The Pleasure Seekers (4); The Poppy Girls (2); Qui Qui Charity and Social Club; The Regalettes (2); The Smart Set (5); The Style Art Club (2); and Utopian Club (5).


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