An American Christmas in 1919

This photo is really interesting.  It was taken in the home of Secretary of War (it’s now Secretary of Defense) Newton Baker as he and his family gathered around the Christmas tree. The quality of the negative is not bad and you can still see the important aspects of American life on the cusp of the Roaring Twenties.

As a reference, Prohibition, the 18th Amendment of the US Constitution, began in January of 1919, so if the adults in this picture followed the law they didn’t enjoy any adult beverages. But as we all know from history, Prohibition didn’t stop too many people from having a good time and it was eventually repealed with the 21st Amendment.