What a great story this one is, it has been languishing on my TBR pile and finally I got to it and I loved it, I do love stories set in the 1920’s and one set in my home town of Sydney even better. Tea Cooper took me on a journey back in time before the Sydney Harbour Bridge but a time of sly grog shops cocaine and men not long back home from the war we meet some fabulous characters Dolly, Jack, Ted and Cynthia and many others I hope you pick this one up and enjoy the journey.

Dolly Bowman arrives at number fifty four Boundary Street to take a job as a cleaner it Is a boarding house as far as Dolly knows but the minute she walks in the door her life will change, firstly she meets Jack her brother’s best friend she hasn’t seen him since he left for war with her brother Ted who is missing in action still, shocked but determined to make a future for herself Dolly shows Jack she is not the young child he remembers.

Cynthia Burton has worked at number fifty four for some time now doing what she can to make some money mixing with high class men and doing it well she has to because of a promise she made, it might not be the ideal life but she is managing just, Jack has always been good to her but the minute young Dolly walks through the door she knows that her life will change.

Life is very different here than in Wollombi and it doesn’t take Dolly long to work out what number fifty four is but it hold opportunities for her as well that she is more than keen to take even if Jack is treating her like a little sister, their relationship is up and down and then another shock and danger is very much on them all at number fifty four.

This is a story that I didn’t want to put down, I loved the characters and their stories that Tea Cooper has pulled together so well making this one a page turner, I loved visiting old Sydney and the places I know now, it is a fast paced story with danger added in and so many fabulous characters that I imagine so well back in the times. This is a story that I highly recommend Tea Cooper knows how to write a historical story and bring it to life on the pages, fabulous. I loved the ending it really made me smile, I do love a good HEA.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review

All I could think about while reading this book was, while the US was enjoying the “roaring twenties”, our brothers down under were experiencing the treacherous aftermath of WWI. This story encompasses the ugly reality of the cocaine and prostitute industries at that time and while neither of those things are particularly appealing, you still won’t be able to put this book down.

Once again Tea Cooper transports me to another world and another time, making this book hard to put down when I should be going to sleep. Vibrant characters paint my dreams as I cannot stop thinking about them.

The House on Boundary Street is set in post world war 1 Sydney, where sly grog shops and cocaine feed ex soldiers addictions and make it easier for the physically and mentally tortured to get through the hard times. Boarding houses are actually brothels and have associated bars and jazz acts to entertain the punters.

Boasting several strong female protagonists, we meet Dolly who has moved from her country home, upon the death of her father (who she believes is her only living relative) to Sydney. She is very lucky to get a cleaning job in a dubious property on Boundary Street. She is lucky to avoid a "promotion" to a resident prostitute, due to the fact that the half owner Jack is from her own town (and as it turns out, feels very guilty about how he treated Dollys brother Ted).

Working at the House on Bounday Street is Cynthia. Her circumstances are dire and life changes irrevocably the day she steps over the threshold of the house on Boundary Street. Determined to survive the only way she can, she breaks into the world of money and matinee idols in order to fulfil a promise she made and now there's no going back.

As Dolly and Cynthia lives entangle they find themselves drawn into a far-reaching web of lies, loves, intrigue and double dealing. Who can be trusted?

Captivating to the end......which is spectacular!

The House on Boundary Street is a revised and expanded edition of the novel originally published as Jazz Baby.


Thanks to NetGalley, Escape Publishing and Tea Cooper for my copy of The House on Boundary Street.

The House on Boundary Street (also published as Jazz Baby) is a novel by UK-born Australia Author, Tea Cooper. After her Pa dies, Dolly Bowman resolves to leave Wollombi and make her life in Sydney. The publican for whom she worked gave her a contact in Darlinghurst, so Dolly arrives in mid-1923, at number 54 Boundary Street, ready to clean rooms and make beds for Mrs Mack.

Dolly is stunned to find Jack Dalton there: Jack was her brother Ted’s best friend, and the girlhood crush she’s never overcome. With Ted MIA and presumed dead, it’s so wonderful to see a familiar, friendly face. If Jack isn’t entirely happy to see Dolly at Mrs Mack’s, his current companion, Cynthia Williams is extremely unhappy with the effect this beautiful, innocent young lass has on her Jack.

Cynthia has enjoyed Jack’s generous patronage and his interest in Dolly might spell the end of that, increasing the difficulty of paying her rent and supporting young Sam. She will need to be quite unambiguous with Dolly about her claim on him.

Dolly is pleased to meet Mrs Mack’s approval, although she has quickly deduced that Mrs Mack’s is more than a boarding house for young ladies. As a partner in the business, Jack sets clear boundaries with Millie Mack on Dolly’s role, although neither anticipates that she will soon be entertaining patrons, albeit in a different way.

Spreading his wealth at a two-up game one night, Jack is stunned to encounter Ted, whose fist clearly telegraphs his regard for his mate. It seems that Ted has avoided all contact to spare those for whom he cares the sight of his horrific facial injuries, but is that the only reason? He has been staying under the radar and consorting with the city’s criminal elements, but by necessity or design?

Cooper easily captures the feel of post-WW1 Sydney and the plight of the single woman trying to survive on her wits as well as the challenges faced by injured return soldiers and survivors of the Spanish ‘flu epidemic.

Her characters have a depth that may surprise from initial impressions. To the glamour of the high-living wealthy, Cooper adds flavour with the seedy underworld figures pushing cocaine and virtually enslaving sex workers. Excellent Australian historical fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Escape Publishing.

When her father dies and her brother doesn't return from the war, Dolly Bowman, an independently minded girl from the country, heads to Sydney to take up a position at number 54 Boundary Street, at what she believes is a reputable boarding house. Number 54, however, is a bawdy house, partly owned by a childhood friend, Jack Dalton. Naive though Dolly is, she accepts this news pragmatically and, despite Jack's disapproval, accepts the job as a show of independence. A talent for singing sees Dolly rise from housemaid to the star attraction of number 54.

Cynthia is a high class prostitute. She has more privileges than the other prostitutes and chooses to live away from the safety of number 54, in an area rife with crime and poverty, where violence, drugs and alcohol go hand in hand. Cynthia's lucrative relationship with Jack ends when he falls in love with Dolly. This is the first of a number of misfortunes that leaves Cynthia in straitened circumstances with very few options and makes her secret harder to protect.

When she meets the down and out Ted, they are surprised by their instant rapport, but Cynthia knows that a man without money or prospects cannot provide what she needs. Even though Ted is heartened that Cynthia is able to ignore his facial scars, he soon discovers she has a mercenary streak and begins to question what her true feelings towards him are. As Cynthia's life starts to unravel and she becomes more desperate, Ted offers his help. His links to the cocaine trade and his interest in the house on Boundary Street makes her wary of trusting him, but she has no one else to turn to if she is to keep a promise made years ago.

This book felt like two separate novels. While Dolly's story and romance with Jack has its ups and downs, it is sweet and uncomplicated compared to Cynthia and Ted's storyline. When the former was resolved early, I thought the book was wrapping up. At this point I felt a little disappointed and cheated as there were a number of threads left hanging. Fortunately, the story continued with the action ramping up as it raced towards a very exciting conclusion.

I loved how Cynthia and Ted, two flawed individuals, eventually learnt to trust each other and find their self-worth too. Their story had far more impact than Dolly and Jack's.

The House on Boundary Street is a revised and expanded version of Jazz Baby, a novel first published in 2014. Overall, it is another enjoyable read from Tea Cooper, but not a favourite.

Dolly is 18 years old and moves to Sydney from Wollombi (Hunter Valley NSW) following the recent death of her father, who never recovered from losing his son Ted during the war. Dolly secures a job in what she thinks is a "boarding house" at "Number 54" as a cleaner, however it turns out it is a house of "ill repute".

Unbeknownst to Dolly, Number 54 is owned by Jack, her brother's childhood friend although he has a manager Mrs Mack who looks after the girls and lodgings. Dolly's heart is instantly all aflutter for Jack although she has competition in the form of Cynthia, one of the girls who works at Number 54.

This book is a coming of age story with some romance and a little mystery as things of course don't run smoothly on the romance front. There are some lovely descriptions of the Rocks area and the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and a little of the dark underbelly of the period as well.

This is the second Tea Cooper book I have read. At about 280 pages it's a nice read for summer or a sit in the sun. It's not taxing, a little feel good, and piques the interest as well. If historical fiction is your preference, and you enjoy a softer, more gentle romance.

I didn’t find there to be a depth of characters as I found in one of the authors previous books so I felt Dolly was not as developed and the story seemed then to be a bit undone regarding her, with more focus on Cynthia which is not quite what I expected.

Thank you to Escape Publishing and Netgalley for providing me a electronic copy to read and review.

Tea Cooper has provided many engaging historical reads for her fans. On this occasion she presents a revised edition of her original novella, ‘Jazz Baby’ released some years ago. Retitled, ‘The House on Boundary Street’ it now tells the expanded story of life in Sydney during the 1920s.

Overall Tea presents a glimpse into the seedier side of a society from the Roaring 20s - very little glitz and glamour here. This is more a look into the winners and losers from the fallout of both WW1 and the Spanish Flu epidemic. Seen through the eyes of four key characters it delves into life in a high class brothel, extreme poverty with the drinking and cocaine (snow) use and abuse. Therefore, this is indeed a most unique insight into this period of Australian history recounted from an interesting perspective.

I found the story of Jack and Dolly to be rather bland whereas Ted and Cynthia’s story was far more engaging. The synopsis leads you to think this is the story of a country girl coming to the city but Dolly really does not feature that much. Cynthia has a story that is far more interesting for the readers and I wish Tea had made that more of her focus. Overall, this story was satisfactory, just not up there with some of Tea’s other books.


‘How had she got herself into this mess? All she’d wanted was to come to Sydney and make a life for herself.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Small country side girl wants to make it big in the city. This is a recurrent theme for many girls and boys as well. But this is 1920s and Sydney is rife with many pitfalls for a young innocent girl. Coming to the house on Boundary Street and working as a maid seems perfectly respectable, but everyone knows that it is just one step away from servicing the many clients that step over the threshold of No. 54.

A chance encounter with Jack of her childhood days and the instant attraction that they feel for each other and slowly unraveling the underbelly of the sordid side of Sydney life with the discovery that Ted her brother is very much alive and not killed in a plane crash creates mixed feelings for Dolly.

A story of family, of love and of survival in a competitive world where girls like Dolly can be swallowed whole in a jiffy. This was a lovely read for me following the TV drama series of Miss Fisher. 1920s Melbourne.

The House in Boundary Street by Tea Cooper was a pleasure to read.

Based in Sydney after the war, Dolly is a young country girl who heads to the city to find work. She soon found that the cleaning job she thought she was apply for was not at all what she expected.

I found this story interesting and I was able to picture the seedy side of Sydney as it might have been in the post war era that the book was set.

I wish to thank Netgalley and Escape Publishing for an advanced copy to read and review!

An adventurous tale of romance and the dark underbelly of Sydney in the 1920’s

The year is 1923 in Sydney Australia, naive country girl Dolly Bowman is in search of a new future. Dolly has lost her brother Ted who was a pilot in the war and just recently her father died so she heads to the city of Sydney. Dolly has been promised a job cleaning at Mrs Mack’s boarding house on 54 Boundary Street.

It didn’t really hit Dolly at first but didn’t take her long to realise what sort of house this really was, it was a high class brothel! When Mrs Mack realises Dolly can sing she is promoted to performing each night in the Blue Room.

Cynthia Burton works as a prostitute, she appears tough and doesn’t let anything get in her way, especially Dolly and she has an interesting back story. Dolly and Cynthia's lives become woven together and they find themselves drawn into a series of intriguing events.

An interesting fact about The House on Boundary Street is that it's the revised and expanded edition originally published as Jazz Baby.

I found this an intriguing insight into the dark world of a high class brothel, the cocaine trade, poverty and sly grog shops in historical Sydney town. Another enjoyable read from the author Tea Cooper

I wish to thank Netgalley & Escape Publishing for an advanced copy to read in return for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Escape Publishing and Tea Cooper for my copy of The House on Boundary Street.

Sydney Australia, the Great War is over, the city is bustling in a post war boom and unfortunately it also has a seedy side. Grog shops, gambling dens, brothels are busy and snow or cocaine is available to buy on the streets. Dolly Bowman is a country girl from Wollombi she arrives in Sydney and has interview with Mrs Millie Mack for a cleaning job at her boarding house on 54 Boundary Street. She’s young and innocent, the next day she’s sent to gather the sheets, change all the beds, boil the copper, she starts washing the piles of dirty sheets and she finally understands she’s working in a high class brothel.
Cynthia Burton works at Boundary Street as a prostitute, she seems to be very hard, tough and at the start she and Dolly don’t get along. Cynthia made a promise to her family, she needs the money she earns and she's not going to let anyone get in her way!
Dolly and Cynthia find themselves involved in a world that no young girl should have to tolerate; women alone had very few options and were easily taken advantage of. The high end bordello looks like a safe place to work, yes the girls are prostitutes but they don’t have to take their chances on the rough streets and it’s a much safer alternative. Mrs Mack discovers Dolly can sing, suddenly cleaning isn’t her only employment option and she wants her to perform every night? All is not what it seems, especially with the owner and it’s a story about secrets, lies, double dealing and 54 Boundary Street is a very dangerous place to work.

Dolly Bowman arrives in Sydney from country New South Wales, with a promise of a cleaning job in a boarding house. Her father has died recently, never having recovered from the disappearance of her brother during World War I. She is surprised to find her brother's best friend Jack at the house, and almost equally surprised to find that the boarding house was actually a high class brothel. Jack is determined that naive Dolly won't become one of the girls. Luckily, it turns out that Dolly is a talented jazz singer and soon she is caught up in the glamorous world using her singing talent to make her way.

One of the other girls, Cynthia Burton, has her own reasons for working at the house on Boundary Street. She wants to get out but the secrets that she keeps, and the money that she owes to the madam are what keeps her there. If she loses her job then she will have to go out on the streets, so while there is danger, it will be even more dangerous if she has to start working the streets. She is looking for an out and before Dolly appears and catches Jack's eye she is hoping that Jack might be it.

It's not easy to get out of that world once you are in, especially given the kind of people that run it. In 1920s Sydney, the streets are flooded with "snow", cocaine to you and me, and while it's not illegal to possess snow, it is illegal to distribute it, so for those who have access, there is big money to be made.

And then there's Ted,who has been trying to get into that world for reasons of his own. He is a man who is used to living in the shadows, to being inconspicuous, hiding the truth of who he really is from everyone who loves him.

When I mentioned that I was reading this a couple of weeks ago it was in the context of the fact that this is actually a reworking of an earlier novel. Having not read the earlier version, I can't tell what has changed or hasn't but I think you can tell. I do wonder what prompts an author to revisit a previous book. What gets changed, what stays the same? How do you decide what needs to be added in? Do you change the fundamental underlying story? Is it an opportunity to put back some things that you left out the first time around, or is it something that you have thought of later?

For me, this book didn't quite work. I think it suffered from a lack of clarity about what it was trying to be, and it wasn't cohesive. When the book opens with Dolly's story, I assumed that she would be the main character, but if I have to be honest I think that this was the less interesting of the two stories. It was really Dolly and Ted's story. Dolly gives us an entry into the brothel, but it wasn't her story, not really.

And yet, it was still interesting, particularly the parts talking about how Sydney was changing in the 1920's. World War I was over, the Spanish Flu had decimated the population, especially in the poorer areas like The Rocks. Now, The Rocks is a tourist hotspot, but at the time it was home to the poorest, ,some of whom were having their buildings destroyed to make way for the famous bridge.


I ended up giving this book a rating of 3/5. It wasn't perfect but there were interesting glimpses into the underbelly of Sydney in the 1920s. I have previously read another book by this author, which I enjoyed, so I will definitely read more by her. It's just unfortunate that this one didn't work particularly well for me.

What an interesting insight into 1923 Sydney! The House On Boundary Street, Tea Cooper’s latest Australian historical, brings readers right into the heart of the city, highlighting the extreme contrasts between wealth and poverty in the Darlinghurst and Kings Cross area. With prostitution, both in the high class brothel that is 54 Boundary Street and on the street, and the cocaine trade both central themes to this story there is plenty to offer tension and conflict, which kept me interested throughout.
The story is largely seen through the eyes of Dolly Bowman, who’s newly arrived in Sydney to take up a house cleaning position. Dolly’s brother Ted, a pilot, is missing presumed dead after being shot down during a skirmish in the war and her parents are both dead. His apparent death is a focal point in Dolly’s motivation to move to Sydney and make something of herself. Dolly is a little naive when the story opens, but she’s determined to do well in Sydney and to establish herself as a singer, something that she gets a chance to do as she begins to settle into her Boundary Street home and workplace.
I couldn’t help but like Dolly. She faces her fair share of problems through this story and comes through stronger as a result. Her supporting cast of characters are also intriguing in their own way and add interest to this story, though for me it is Tea Cooper’s ability to paint such a believable picture of central Sydney at this time in history that makes the story so fascinating. The more I read this story the more I loved it and the more determined I felt to go right back to the beginning and start again. It really was a compelling and utterly fascinating story.

Lost girls, lost men and lost dreams!

It's 1923 Sydney. With her brother killed in the war, her father now dead, and lack of a job has Dolly Bowman leaves her small town home of Wollombi and heads for Sydney. She's lined up new employment as a maid at a boarding house, 54 Boundary Street. What Dolly doesn't know is that she's taking employment in a high class brothel where the step up from maid to whore is a forgone conclusion.
Her brother's best mate Jack Dalton hasn't been back to their hometown ever. Imagine his shocked surprise when Dolly, also a childhood friend turns up at Boundary Street and after a few shocks becomes the new singer in the club he part owns. Surprises all around, and how Dolly avoids the oldest profession in the world is another tale.
Then there's the problem of the cocaine trade in Sydney. Not that Boundary Street has anything to do with that.
A story with quite a few twists and turns about a time in Australia's history when cocaine was 'flooding Sydney with cocaine. Australia’s [had] the highest use in the world. It’s [wasn't] illegal to use it ... but [was] illegal to sell it, supply it.'
(The back story of course is that this is a time when the male population of small towns throughout Australia were decimated by the World War 1. A whole generation wiped out. The young men who never returned. Go to any Australian town, no matter the size and you'll see memorials to the fallen listing swathes of young men, often from the same families, who'd fallen in far off places. Add to that the injured who returned, including those who'd become addicted to cocaine after treatment in hospital and never regained themselves. With rife unemployment and the effect of the flu epidemic that savaged its way across the world, these were grim times. Ring any bells?)
I must admit that I found myself annoyed time and again with Dolly. She's just a bit too headstrong to the point of dangerous. She doesn't pick up on the clues around her that all is not as it should be. Is that because she's a country gal and has no street smarts? And Jack is supposedly shrewd but he's somewhat lackadaisical in many ways.
The two I enjoyed most are the secondary characters, Ted and Cynthia. They stole the show for me and took my original 3 star rating to 4 stars.
I was able to fully appreciate the dark places portrayed, and was buoyed by the light of the human spirit amongst even the most forlorn. Friendship, the sticking together, can be found in unexpected places.

An Escape Publishing ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Dolly Bowman had been recommended the house of Mrs Mack’s to apply for a job, so she travelled from Wollombi to Sydney, ready to change her life. Her pa had died six months previously and with her brother “missing presumed dead” from the war, she had no one. 54 Boundary Street was a nice house and when Mrs Mack said she had the job, she was thrilled. Just cleaning, washing and tidying, but it was a start. She received a shock when she saw her brother’s best friend Jack at the house, but it was a nice shock. She’d secretly had a crush on him since they were children.

Dolly was naïve, but it didn’t take her long to realise what sort of house Mrs Mack ran. And when Mrs Mack asked her to sing each night, accompanying the pianist, it was like a dream come true. Dolly was friendly with Alice, one of Mrs Mack’s girls, but not so with Cynthia. She had secrets and Dolly knew to keep away from her. But as rosy as her life had started to become, little things were going wrong.

With the cocaine trade rife in Sydney, the dark underbelly was reaching out to include everyone it touched. What would be the outcome for an innocent, naïve young country girl in the city that never seemed to sleep?

The House on Boundary Street by Aussie author Tea Cooper is a revised and expanded edition of the original, Jazz Baby, which I read and enjoyed back in 2014. The extra in this edition gave the story more depth and intrigue, making it another great historical fiction novel from this author. Recommended to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Dolly arrives in Sydney, after World War I, prepared to follow her dreams and make a new life for herself. Filled with servicemen, cocaine, and women with no means of financial support, Sydney is an intriguing setting for this historical romance.

Working as a maid in what she soon learns is NOT a boarding house, likable Dolly faces deceit, passion, and adventure. Although I enjoyed the history, the romance portion of the story fell flat for me.

I thank Net Galley and Escape Publishing for the advance reading copy.

I received an advance copy of this book from netgalley, which I appreciated.

This is a novel set in the somewhat gritty city of Sydney in the early 1920’s, where young Dolly Bowman arrives after her father passes to serve as a cleaning woman in a “boarding house” for women, which she soon discovers is actually a classy bordello. She soon meets Jack, a childhood friend/hero and former pilot in the Great War, as well as a close friend of her brother Ted, also a pilot and now presumed dead.

While the first part of the book focuses on house clientele, events, and Dolly and Jack’s growing relationship, it also shows Dolly’s beginnings as a songstress at #54 Boundary Street. It also develops other characters such as Cynthia and “Dougie” and details the “swill houses“ and “snow” (cocaine trade) in Sydney’s seedier areas. The story moves well, but I wondered for a bit what had happened to Dolly as the narrative moved away to other matters..

Jack discovers the badly disfigured Ted in one of the seedier drink/gambling establishments of town, and Dolly learns her brother is in fact alive, Angry at him and sorry for their father who declined In health grieving and hoping to see his son come home alive, she comes to terms with the brother she loved again.

Eventually it is revealed that Ted, once addicted to cocaine as a result of war injury pain, is on a covert assignment which leads to number 54 Boundary Street. While the climax is well-plotted and the story draws the reader in, the book would benefit from a good proofreader before publication. I wondered a bit how the author would transition back to Dolly’s story after all the diversion to Ted, but it did happen. Still, could not quite rate it a 5 star.

I have posted a review to Goodreads.

The House on Boundary Street

Sydney in the 1920s can be a dangerous place but Dolly Bowman has taken the step and travelled to Sydney to start a new life. Her Pa has died, her brother Ted is missing in action and she has no one left in country Wollombi.
Dolly has a job lined up at Mrs Mack’s Boarding House on Boundary Street as a cleaner but of course the boarding house isn’t a boarding house it is a brothel. The girls at the house seem friendly enough and Dolly is enjoying her new found freedom in Sydney. New friends, old acquaintances and surprise revelations all make for an interesting and entertaining read. Dolly is a character you can’t help but like.
An easy weekend read which I enjoyed and like all Tea Cooper’s books it delivers a uniquely Australian perspective on a period of Australian history - the early 1920s in Sydney.

I don't normally read romance novels but I quite enjoyed this book as it contained more than young ladies swooning with secret desire on strong men's breasts! The book does a pretty good job of describing the living and working conditions in Sydney at that time and the desperate need for support experienced by many women following the end of WWI when women were not educated for the workforce and there was no government support for those who had lost their means of support. If romance novels with a bit of intrigue thrown in are your preference, then you will enjoy this book.

I enjoyed reading this book, it interested me to learn about the happenings in Sydney in the 1920s. I never really knew about the issues in Australia at the time with cocaine use, the returned servicemen in the city and the stronghold of the brothels.

I liked reading the snippets that described things like Sydney Harbour Bridge being built and the changes coming to the city.

This book had a few cheesy lines in the romance department and I thought those lines were a bit ‘Mills and Boon’…with lines like “She crushed her aching breasts against the solid mass of his chest” and “Desire traced its path to his groin.” That kind of writing isn’t really for me, but this is a historical romance and there’s not an abundance of lines like that, just a few.

I liked the books characters and was really liking Cynthia much more towards the end of the book.

I had no idea cocaine was used medicinally in the 20s and 30s and that Australia had the highest usage rate in the world at that time. I looked up some info on this and found out how the alcohol, cocaine and sex trade started gang wars in Sydney and underworld crime. This led me to think this book is a bit ‘clean’ so to speak in its descriptions of life at the time.

Overall, I liked this book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Australian historical fiction or the story of Sydney in the 1920s.