Images of the Past: Prohibition at Lafayette College

A century ago this month, the United States imposed a ban on “intoxicating liquors,” a year after Congress ratified the 18th Amendment.

Prohibition, in force for only 13 years, has been largely viewed as a failed social experiment and governmental overreach. It inspired satire, with the likes of Mark Twain and H.L. Mencken lampooning it. Lafayette was no exception. Students, faculty, and even administrators joined together in filling publications and photographs with their prankish spoofs.

Here are some campus images from the Prohibition era from Special Collections.