Coffee: A 1920s American Journey in Black-and-White

This rare black-and-white archival footage, shot in the 1920s, offers a nostalgic dive into America’s coffee culture, weaving a silent, 10-minute montage of everyday life centered on the beverage’s allure. Filmed by Castle Films for "Brazil’s Gift," the film captures a vibrant cross-section of 1920s society: schoolboys in white shirts and ties learning about Brazil’s coffee trade in a classroom, secretaries typing amidst towering paper stacks, flapper women enjoying coffee breaks at General Electric, businessmen sipping espresso in boardrooms, and football players recharging in locker rooms. From radio announcers broadcasting coffee moments to ice skaters savoring cups on frozen ponds, train diners being served by Black waiters, and a hotel clerk delivering coffee to a sleepy guest, the footage—set against Brazil’s coffee industry—paints a rich portrait of a caffeinated era. A charming window into the Roaring Twenties, this preserved gem grips history buffs, coffee lovers, and cultural enthusiasts, offering a timeless peek at America’s coffee obsession frozen in time.