In a tumultuous era spanning thirteen years, Americans could no longer manufacture, sell, or transport intoxicating beverages. Prohibition was now a part of the Constitution, holding the same status as freedom of speech and the abolition of slavery. Ratified in 1919, the 18^th Amendment stirred up a passionate and sometimes volatile debate between “wets” and “drys” that will forever cement Prohibition’s place in history.

Spirited: Prohibition in America, a new traveling exhibition from NEH on the Road, brings visitors back to this period of flappers and suffragists, bootleggers and temperance lobbyists, and real-life legends, such as Al Capone and Carry Nation. Visitors will learn about the complex issues that led America to adopt Prohibition through the 18^th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919 until its repeal through the 21^st Amendment in 1933.

Through the exhibition, visitors will learn about the amendment process, the changing role of liquor in American culture, Prohibitions impact on the roaring 20’s, and the role of women, and how current liquor laws vary from state to state.

About The LymanAllyn Museum

The Lyman Allyn Art Museum welcomes visitors from New London, Southeastern Connecticut and from all over the world. Established by a gift from Harriet Allyn in memory of her seafaring father, the museum opened the doors of its beautiful neo-classical building in 1932. Today it houses a fascinating collection of over 17,000 objects from ancient times to the present; artworks from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe, with particularly strong collections of American paintings, decorative arts, and Victorian toys and doll houses.

Complementing the eye-opening “American Perspectives” galleries, which display works drawn from the permanent collection, the Lyman Allyn presents a number of changing exhibitions each year. These special shows highlight creativity in its fullest definition – encouraging visitors to experience the pleasures of art through many lenses of discovery, history, social, and cultural phenomenon with focus on the character and strengths of Southeastern Connecticut. Throughout each year, the Lyman Allyn Art Museum offers special programming including exhibition openings, lectures, educational opportunities, and musical events for families and the general public.