Presented here for sale is a RARE piece of American history ; a dinner menu from the infamous Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston',Massachusetts dated December 12,1941. This extraordinary artifact sits at the intersection of two monumental moments in 20th-century history. Printed just five days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, it captures the immediate atmosphere of a nation plunged into World War II. Furthermore it dates to less than one year before the horrific Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire of November 28, 1942, which claimed 492 lives and remains the deadliest nightclub fire in US history.Menus from this tragic establishment are exceptionally scarce, as most archival material was destroyed in the blaze or discarded in its aftermath. Finding one with such a precise heavy hitting wartime date is an absolute anomaly This is a single panel, card stock menu as was often used by the venue in 1941.It features both a Table D'hote (fixed price) dinner for $2.00 and a Theater dinner priced at $1.50. It is an intriguing glimpse of Boston nightlife on the brink of World War II.
The menu does not have an address on it , but that fact that it has that specific Theater menu points directly to Boston. The Boston nightclub was located in the heart of the theatre district, and the restaurant catered to those who were going to a show.Also the menu features baked stuffed lobster and Boston celery. I thought it was odd that New York clam chowder is on the menu, but AI says this makes sense for a Boston nightclub in 1941 because itt was considered more sophisticated than New England chowder. If that's not enough, on the back of the menu is another piece of Boston history. There is an advertisement for Aron Richmond's Celebrity Series. This music series was established in Boston in 1938, featuring famous entertainers of the era. The advertisement includes pictures of stars of the day including opera star Marian Anderson..My research suggest that the nightclub well may have added these advertisements to the back of the menu.
From my research, I have every reason to believe that this menu is authentic. I took this item to a rare book dealer in the Boston area who specializes in local ephemera and he told me he believed it was authentic. He actually made me an offer for it.
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