America bans alcohol. France seizes its chance.
American Prohibition, a French opportunity
A transatlantic investigation into the networks, people and places that transformed America’s ban on alcohol into a French opportunity.
Explore French Prohibition
A story with many facets
Behind the speakeasies and illicit cargoes lies a human, political and economic adventure. French Prohibition reconstructs its faces, routes and forgotten stories.
Chronicles
The major questions, deeper causes and turning points of Prohibition.
Read the Chronicles 02Places
From French wharves to Manhattan hotels, every address preserves a piece of the story.
Explore the places 03Characters
Diplomats, smugglers, industrialists and adventurers from an age of excess.
Meet the charactersThe central question
01Why did the United States introduce Prohibition?
Protestant churches, temperance campaigners and industrial interests: how an unlikely coalition imposed a nationwide ban on alcohol.
Read the ChronicleFrom one shore to the other
The territories of Prohibition
At the heart of the cities
Wharves, hotels, automobiles and anonymous streets reveal Prohibition at street level.
Explore the citiesThe smuggling routes
From the Atlantic to the Canadian border, follow the routes taken by illicit cargoes.
Follow the routesIconic places
Speakeasies, ports, hotels and warehouses: the settings where history truly unfolded.
Discover the placesThey shaped their era
Lives greater than legend
The French Gazette
The latest news from France and America
A new edition of The French Gazette
The news of the era, told with the urgency of tomorrow’s newspaper.
A new edition of The French Gazette
The news of the era, told with the urgency of tomorrow’s newspaper.
A new edition of The French Gazette
The news of the era, told with the urgency of tomorrow’s newspaper.
Manhattan Paris
Elegance between two continents
Fashion, nightlife and desire: when Manhattan and Paris shared the same intoxicating spirit.
Open Manhattan ParisThe advertisement
American Prohibition: A French Opportunity
Discover the little-known story of the networks, people and French opportunities created by America’s ban on alcohol.
Discover the bookTravel back in time
Explore the Prohibition timeline
An overlooked story between two continents
Behind the speakeasies, illicit cargoes and the Roaring Twenties lies a little-known story: that of the men, women, places and archives connecting France to one of the most fascinating periods of the twentieth century.
The documentary
The story comes to life
Archive footage, stories and atmosphere reveal another side of this transatlantic adventure.
Watch the documentary