Billy the Oysterman, New York 1947 Biff's These charming pink elephant images

These charming pink elephant images

(20th November 1901)

in each instance it is referred to as the Cat ‘N Fiddle Confectionery & Tea Room

provided all the illustrations for "Speaking of Food"

Billy the Oysterman, New York 1947 Biff's These charming pink elephant imagesBilly The Oysterman started out as a dive in downtown Manhattan at the beginning of the 20th century. This was before the city's oyster beds were polluted and the proprietor served salty mollusks that were raw, boiled or stewed and customers simply threw the used oyster shells on the floor. We're not sure if the owners of the restaurant took over the name as a tribute to Billy but in the 30s and 40s this was one of the most famous seafood restaurants