broadway

The Gay 90s: Hot tamales on Broadway, New York City, 1894 (toon)

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tamales1864This cartoon, from 1894, is by Archie Dunn. The tamalero seems to be wearing a chef’s hat (?) and using a charcoal burner to keep the tamales hot. What do you think his medallion signifies? And aren’t the “Gay Nineties” couple elegant? Are they daredevils eating exotic street food or just another drunk couple with the munchies, hanging out at the food truck of the era?

Image courtesy the New York Public Library.

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Mas…The Gay 90s: Hot tamales on Broadway, New York City, 1894 (toon)