Slumming: Sexual and Racial Encounters in American Nightlife, 1885-1940 (Historical Studies of Urban America)

433 Pages·2009·2.36 MB·English

by  Heap

SLUMMING
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SLUMMING
Sexual and Racial Encounters
in American Nightlife, 1885–1940
CHAD HEAP
The University of Chicago Press Chicago and London
CHAD HEAP is associate professor of American studies at the
George Washington University. he is a contributor to The Encyclopedia
of Chicago and curator and catalog author of the regenstein library
exhibition homosexuality in the City: A Century of research at the
University of Chicago (2000).
the University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
the University of Chicago Press, ltd., london
© 2009 by Chad heap
All rights reserved. Published 2009
Printed in the United states of America
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 1 2 3 4 5
isBn-13: 978-0-226-32243-8 (cloth)
isBn-10: 0-226-32243-2 (cloth)
library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
heap, Chad C., 1967–
slumming : sexual and racial encounters in American nightlife,
1885–1940 / Chad heap.
p. cm.
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBn-13: 978-0-226-32243-8 (cloth : alk. paper)
isBn-10: 0-226-32243-2 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. new York (n.Y.)—
social life and customs. 2. Chicago (ill.)—social life and customs.
3. slums—social aspects—new York (state)—new York—
history. 4. slums—social aspects—illinois—Chicago—history.
5. City and town life—new York (state)—new York—history.
6. City and town life—illinois—Chicago—history. 7. new
York (n.Y.)—race relations. 8. Chicago (ill.)—race relations.
9. sex customs—new York (state)—new York—history.
10. sex customs—illinois—Chicago—history. i. title.
F128.5.h43 2009
305.8009773'11—dc22 2007010881
a the paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of the American national standard for information sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed library Materials, Ansi Z39.48-1992.
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
PART ONE the spatial Dynamics of slumming and the 15
emergence of Commercial leisure
1 Into the Slums: The Spatial Organization, Cultural Geography, and
Regulation of a New Urban Pastime 17
2 Beyond the Slums: Commercial Leisure and the Reorganization and
Policing of Urban Space 55
PART TWO the Changing Conceptualization of sexuality 99
and race in the slumming Vogues of Chicago and new York
3 Adventures in the Slums and Red-Light Districts 101
4 The Search for Bohemian thrillage 154
5 The Negro Vogue: Excursions into a “Mysterious Dark World” 189
6 The Pansy and Lesbian Craze in White and Black 231
Epilogue 277
Notes 287
List of Abbreviations in Notes 391
Index 395

illustrations
1 “‘Doing the slums,’ a scene in the Five Points,” an
engraving from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper 6
2 Map of new York’s turn-of-the-century slumming
destinations 30
3 the famous haymarket in new York’s tenderloin 36
4 Map of Chicago’s turn-of-the-century slumming
destinations 38
5 Chicago’s “Levee District” at Night, a drawing by
h. G. Maratta 40
6 Greenwich Village To Day, a drawing by robert edwards
B.P.l. 58
7 Map of popular towertown tearooms and cabarets 60
8 Map of harlem’s expanding black population 72
9 Map of Bronzeville’s expanding black population 74
10 A Night-Club Map of Harlem, a drawing by
e. simms Campbell 92
11 the reverend ernest A. Bell and the Midnight Mission
prayer service in the levee 105
12 Night Scenes on the Levee, a drawing by W. layman 112
13 “A thompson street ‘Black and tan Dive,’” a photograph
by richard hoe lawrence 124
illustrations
14 “A typical Party of slummers Coming out of a China-
town restaurant after a Midnight Banquet of Chop suey
and Chow Mein,” a photograph from Munsey’s Maga-
zine 134
15 P oster advertising the Bowery Burlesquers’ production of
the burletta, Slumming 148
16 “ Dancing at Charley reed’s Purple Pup,” a photograph by
Jessie tarbox Beals 167
17 t owertown tearoom the Wind Blew inn 172
18 “ Adele Kennedy, the only Guide to Greenwich Village,
new York,” a photograph by Jessie tarbox Beals 178
19 Advertisement for towertown’s Dill Pickle Club 182
20 Advertisement for harlem’s Cotton Club 192
21 inside small’s Paradise in harlem 202
22 outside Bronzeville’s Plantation Café 222
23 Pansy entertainer Jean Malin 237
24 Placard announcing sexologist Magnus hirschfeld’s ap-
pearance at the Dill Pickle Club 248
25 Gladys Bentley, harlem’s premier lesbian entertainer 257
26 Drag entertainers in Bronzeville 275
viii
Acknowledgments
Because this book has been more than a decade in the mak-
ing and its completion has sometimes seemed in doubt, i
have not only accumulated a long list of debts which must
be acknowledged here but have also exasperated more than
a few individuals whom i must thank for their indulgence
and patience. let me begin by expressing my gratitude to
those who were there at the project’s conception. As the
chair of my dissertation committee, George Chauncey
proved an invaluable advisor and friend throughout gradu-
ate school and beyond. From the insider information he
shared about particular archives and sources to the time he
invested in commenting on drafts and helping to secure
funding for my research, his support has been unwavering,
and his creative and scrupulous scholarship has provided
a model and foundation for my own. i am also indebted
to leora Auslander for our long conversations about the
theoretical dimensions of sexuality and gender, to tom
holt for his insights into the “marking” of race, and to
Kathleen Conzen for her advice on the little urban history
research project that grew up to be a book. in addition, i
am grateful to my University of Chicago compatriots, Gabi
Arredondo, Matti Bunzl, elisa Camiscioli, David Churchill,
the late Charles Clifton, eduardo Contreras, laurie Green,
Dawne Moon, Greta rensenbrink, Michael schreffler, Dana
seitler, nayan shah, and red tremmel, for sharing their
ideas about history, identity, and sexuality, and for pro-
viding an occasional—and necessary—escape from the aca-
demic world of hyde Park.