4. The Caravan Club, 81 Endell Street, Soho

Soho has always been and continues to be a magnet for the LGBTQ+ community and The Caravan Club was just one of many clandestine haunts for those interested in ‘all-night gaiety’ in the summer of 1934. Made famous by a sensational court case, the club was shut down within months of opening after local residents complained of a “sink of iniquity” being run in the basement of 81 Endell Street.

Plain clothes police officers infiltrated and raided the premises in the early hours of 25th August, arresting 103 people. In the report one officer described entering into conversation with a man named ‘Josephine’ and the detective leading the raid noted that he saw “men dancing with men and women with women'' with “a number of couples simply standing still.” His report further noted that “there were couples wriggling their posteriors, and where I saw men together, they had their hands on the other's buttocks and were pressing themselves together.”

Print is 20 x 25cm, unframed, signed, numbered and comes with the above accompanying text.