Krazy Kat (a reference to the Krazy Kat speakeasy and art club in Washington, D.C.) *

Photograph shows the Krazy Kat, an art club on Green Court (near Thomas Circle), Washington. D.C. (Source: Washington Times, July 31, 1921) * Description: 23-year-old artist and scenic designer Cleon "Throck" Throckmorton (1897–1965) (far right), 18-year-old Chicago-born fencing expert and Throckmorton's future wife Kathryn Marie "Kat" Mullin (1902–1994) (far left), 26-year-old painter and illustrator Inez Hogan (1895–1973) (middle), and two unidentified friends photographed circa July 1921 at the back-alley entrance of Throckmorton's speakeasy, The Krazy Kat, in Washington, D.C. Known for its riotous performances of hot jazz music which often degenerated into violence and mayhem, this notorious Jazz Age speakeasy operated in D.C.'s rough and tumble Latin Quarter during the early years of prohibition. Frequent habitués included many avant-garde artists and thespians associated with the Provincetown Players social circle. The speakeasy's libertine clientèle became known for their public advocacy of free love ("unrestricted impulse"). The speakeasy's name, The Krazy Kat, derived from the gender-bending title character of George Herriman's Krazy Kat comic strip. According to Herriman

Date

1921-07-31

Photographer / author

. Attributed to The Washington Times, July 31, 1921

Collection

National Photo Company

Archive

Library of Congress (via Wikimedia Commons)

Type

photograph

Original size

5,328 × 4,315 pixels

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