Chicago History Museum

12/14/2022

New on the blog: As a young girl, Rev. Christine V. Hides loved to read and dreamed of solving mysteries. Now Hides has helped the Chicago History Museum solve one! After visiting the Vivian Maier: In Color exhibition, she identified the location where Maier took one of the photographs on display. Find out what details caught her eye and how this one image led Hides to identify more photographs of the same location. http://ow.ly/sHZU50M2N9L

Be sure to see Vivian Maier: In Color before it closes on Saturday, 12/31!

12/09/2022

Happy 8️⃣0️⃣th Birthday to Dick Butkus! Born in Chicago on December 9, 1942, Richard Marvin Butkus was the youngest of eight children. His father was a Lithuanian immigrant who worked for the Pullman-Standard railroad car manufacturing company, and his mother worked at a laundry. Butkus’s football career started at Chicago Vocational High School in the Avalon Park neighborhood on the city’s South Side. He was a linebacker and center for the University of Illinois, where he played on the 1964 Rose Bowl‒winning team. Drafted by the Bears as the third pick in the 1965 NFL Draft, Butkus would play for nine seasons, until his career ended in 1973 with a knee injury. As a Bear, he amassed 22 interceptions, 27 recovered fumbles, and played in eight Pro Bowls. At 6’3”, 245 lbs, he was best known as a fierce tackler, earning him numerous nicknames, including “The Animal,” “The Enforcer,” “The Maestro of Mayhem,” and “The Robot of Destruction.” After his playing career, Butkus became a broadcaster and actor. His no. 51 jersey was retired by the Bears in 1994. Read more about Butkus in Chicago History magazine: http://ow.ly/eq1L50LYPau

12/07/2022

🚨CHM's holiday hours include late hours the last weekdays of December!🚨 We'll be open until 6 p.m. from Monday, 12/26, through Friday, 12/30. Please note that CHM will close at 2:30 p.m. on 12/24 and 12/31 and be closed all day on 12/25 and 1/1. The will be closed from Saturday, 12/24, through Monday, 1/2. Learn more: http://ow.ly/u1p150LWZSi

12/06/2022

New blog post: 100 years ago, the Trianon Ballroom opened its doors at 62nd St. and Cottage Grove in Woodlawn. Marketed as the “World’s Most Beautiful Ballroom,” its name and décor were inspired by the Grand Trianon palace at Versailles, commissioned by Louis XIV. The dance hall was an enterprise of brothers Andrew and William Karzas, entrepreneurs in Chicago’s Greek community, who already owned a small chain of movie theaters across the city. Learn more about one of Chicago's premier nightlife destinations. http://ow.ly/W2Nl50LWJyi

12/02/2022

Tracing the Black Panther Footprint – South Side Weekly

"I wanted to do an event in honor of the Illinois chapter and simultaneously begin a public awareness campaign of the landmarking effort that we were doing. It was really my own personal dream to do an event at the Chicago History Museum in honor of the Illinois chapter. And I wanted the Chicago History Museum specifically because that’s what level of conversation the Illinois chapter needs to be on."

Leila Wills of the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party spoke to South Side Weekly about the organization's work to preserve and memorialize dozens of Black Panther sites, like free breakfast programs, medical clinics, headquarters, and more:

A non-profit is working to preserve and memorialize dozens of Black Panther sites, like free breakfast programs, medical clinics, headquarters, and more.

11/30/2022

Today marks the end of . In this 1975 interview, Studs Terkel spoke with Vine Deloria Jr. (1933‒2005), a legal scholar, theologian, and one of the most prominent voices in shaping legal policy for Indigenous peoples across the country. His 1969 book, "Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto," offered critiques of how aid and community organizations interacted with Indigenous peoples and launched him into the national spotlight. His work influenced key efforts like the American Indian Movement and the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement. Deloria taught at several US universities before ultimately retiring from the University of Colorado Boulder. Listen to the interview: http://ow.ly/YQEQ50LQyw1

11/30/2022

As December dawns, many Chicagoans may find themselves fondly reminiscing about making a special seasonal trip to Marshall Field & Co. to experience its yearly transformation into a holiday wonderland. The decorated State Street windows and the record-breaking Christmas tree of the Walnut Room were not only intended to spark wonder and delight from visitors, but long-term brand loyalty. Field’s commitment to elevating the holiday retail experience through art was in large part fostered by an artist named Clara Powers Wilson, who served in many roles at the department store, including working as the art director of the company’s most successful publication, “Fashions of the Hour.”

In our latest blog post, read about the history of the magazine, Wilson’s successful career, and how she expertly blended form and function to elevate common commercial goods into artistic objects. http://ow.ly/ybSe50LQujy

11/24/2022

Happy ! What’s on your menu today? This Briggs House menu (1867) gives insight into one of Chicago’s finest pre-Fire hotels. Offerings include “Fricandue of Veal, a la Jardiner” (likely a fricandeau, which was larded veal roasted and glazed, served with garden vegetables), “Fillets of beef larded, a la Neapolitan” (possibly Bistecchine alla Napoletana), “Calves Liver braized, a la Italianne” (possibly Fegato alla Veneziana), and “maccaroni au gratin, de Parmason,” which may have been similar to macaroni and cheese. The first Briggs House was built in 1856 on the northeast corner of Randolph and Wells Streets and was a five-story Italianate building designed by John M. Van Osdel. After burning down in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, Van Osdel also designed the second iteration, which stood until 1928 when it was razed to build the Steuben Club Building at 188 W. Randolph Street. See more menus: http://ow.ly/Lf9g50LMtyF

11/23/2022

Safe travels to everyone on the road today! In this series of The Chicago Sun-Times photographs, holiday travelers wait at the Greyhound Bus Station, 630 W. Harrison St., Chicago, November 21, 1973. See more images: http://ow.ly/X7fn50LMn1b

11/22/2022

New on the blog: For , CHM curator of religion and community history Rebekah Coffman writes about "The Book of the Gospels," published by Chicago-based Liturgy Training Publications. Featuring illustrations by Laura James that center Black and Brown figures as protagonists, the book upholds the tradition of reclaiming Jesus and other saints as people of color with culturally specific connections and community-centered meanings. Read the post: http://ow.ly/Q52F50LL7ks

11/16/2022

In spring 2021, Elena Gonzales began at CHM as a guest curator and this October, she joined the staff full-time as our Curator of Civic Engagement and Social Justice. What exactly does her title mean and how does one go about curating these things, especially social justice? Visit the CHM blog to find out how Gonzales approaches her work, what a typical day looks like for her, and the artifact that she finds most fascinating: http://ow.ly/NO6K50LE6IS

11/10/2022

In observance of Thanksgiving, the Chicago History Museum will be closed from 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, and will reopen on Friday, November 25. The Abakanowicz Research Center will be closed starting Wednesday, November 23, and will reopen on Tuesday, November 29. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Learn more: http://ow.ly/onJq50Lh603 // View of Shirley White posing with a turkey at a poultry show, 1933. DN-A-3555, Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection, CHM

11/09/2022

On this day in 1934, Carl Edward Sagan was born. Best remembered for sharing the wonders of outer space through academic inquiry and science fiction, Sagan received his academic training, from his BA to his PhD, at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. Throughout his career, he served as a professor at Harvard and Cornell; worked for NASA as a visiting scientist; published or edited more than 20 books; and, perhaps most memorably, was the host of his own show on PBS, “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” which brought the mystique of space to millions of minds across the world. In 1985, Sagan sat down with Studs Terkel to discuss his science fiction novel, “Contact,” which explored what would happen if humanity encountered a more technologically advanced alien society. “Contact” would go on to become a bestseller and was adapted into a movie in 1997. Listen to the interview: http://ow.ly/ibc150LySSX // Carl Sagan with the planets, 1981; photograph by Eduardo Castaneda. The Seth MacFarlane Collection of the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan Archive, Library of Congress.

11/08/2022

Anyone else tracking election results? 🗳 Newspapers are a common theme in 's work, and here she documented issues of the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and the New York Times covering the 1974 midterm elections. See more of her work in "Vivian Maier: In Color" before it closes on Saturday, 12/31: http://ow.ly/Imwk50Lqkse // Newspapers dated November 6, 1974. CHM, ICHi-181467 / © The Estate of Vivian Maier.

11/06/2022

Night Night. Our scavenger hunt–style exhibition "Haunted Dolls & History's Horrors" closes on Sunday, 11/6, so don't sleep on it! http://ow.ly/KCXb50Lqb5W // Mechanical doll in wood frame bed, date unknown. Gift of Federated Retail Holdings Inc. 2007.100.3

11/02/2022

During the decades before Congress passed a federal suffrage amendment in 1919, Chicago women of different backgrounds worked to reform society, achieve economic and political empowerment, and promote racial equality. Those issues propelled many to also campaign for suffrage. Bit by bit, they achieved local victories—stepping stones to full suffrage. Believing education fit within “women’s sphere,” IL lawmakers in 1891 allowed women to vote for school officials. In Chicago, this meant women could vote in one election—for members of the University of Illinois’s governing board.

In the 1900s, activists began campaigning for “municipal suffrage,” which would allow Chicago women to also vote for city officials. This flyer from around 1906 urged Chicago women to use their only vote to demonstrate their desire for expanded voting rights. Learn more about the stepping stones to suffrage in episode 3 of our digital experience “: Chicago Women and the Vote”: http://ow.ly/IeYR50Ls70p

11/01/2022

EDIT: Ticketing is back up! Thank you for your patience.

🚨 Our ticketing system is currently down🚨

If you're having any issues with purchases, please call 312-642-4600 or email [email protected]: http://ow.ly/r2ZW50Lr2Lt. We apologize for the inconvenience.

📷: Hazel Patrick buys a ticket to a charity show, Chicago, 1927. DN-0084157, Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection, CHM

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween! If we saw our doll-ppelgänger, we'd probably lose our head too. Find this doll (if you dare) as part of "Haunted Dolls & History's Horrors," which runs through Sunday, 11/6. http://ow.ly/KCXb50Lqb5W

10/29/2022

October is ! Learn more about CHM's archival holdings, which include photographs, maps, architectural drawings, and archives and manuscripts, on our blog as CHM director of research and access Ellen Keith gives an update on what’s new at the Abakanowicz Research Center. http://ow.ly/Ggb450LoRbk

10/28/2022

Chicago has a thriving film industry, and it’s not without its fair share of horror flicks. We’ve rounded up 5 (well, technically 8) of the most iconic horror films shot or set in Chicago, perfect for a Halloween movie marathon this weekend… watch at your own risk! Do you know of any other scary movies with a connection to city? Let us know!

1. "Child’s Play" (1, 2, and 3): The first installment in the franchise was filmed almost entirely in Chicago, featuring the historic Brewster Apartments in Lakeview. While the sequels were set in Chicago, they were primarily filmed at studios in California.

2. "Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest": Filmed both in L.A. and Chicago. Look for shots of the Board of Trade and the iconic West Loop Greyhound station.

3. "The Relic": Significant portions of this film were shot at the Field Museum.

4. "Damien: Omen II": Filmed almost entirely in and around the city. Look for shots of Graceland Cemetery and City Hall.

5. "Candyman" (1992 original and 2021 remake): Both iterations are filmed and set in Chicago. In the original, look for stills of the University of Illinois at Chicago campus and Cabrini-Green. In the contemporary rendition, look for shots of Marina City and scenes filmed inside the Museum of Contemporary Art.

You can read more about the history of Chicago’s film industry in the "Encyclopedia of Chicago": http://ow.ly/JsV550Lo7B4

10/27/2022

You see a creepy clown, we see an artifact with a heckuva backstory. This marionette (c. 1933) entertained fairgoers at the 1933–34 A Century of Progress International Exposition. It was made by Dorothy Taylor, who was the wife of Robert Taylor, the first Black member of the Chicago Housing Authority who was later its chairman and the namesake of the Robert Taylor Homes. The Taylors were the maternal grandparents of Valerie Jarrett, who served as senior advisor to President Barack Obama and is currently CEO of the Obama Foundation. You can find this doll in "Chicago: Crossroads of America" as part of our scavenger hunt–style exhibition, "Haunted Dolls & History’s Horrors." http://ow.ly/3eRq50Lm3XZ

10/26/2022

From sundown on Tuesday, 10/25, through sundown on Thursday, 10/27, followers of the faith celebrate important Twin Holidays: the birth of the Báb and birth of Bahá’u’lláh, its two foundational figures. In our latest blog post, CHM curator of religion and community history Rebekah Coffman writes about the significance of the holidays and CHM's collection of pamphlets representing moments in the community’s history as it established a physical presence in the Chicagoland area. http://ow.ly/LUce50Lm6jq

10/26/2022

New on the blog: Chicagoland has a lot of ghost stories, but none are as well-known as the infamous Resurrection Mary, the hitchhiking ghost who haunts the roadsides of Archer Avenue on the city’s southwest side. Mary has different origins, depending on who’s telling the story, but most narratives put her untimely death sometime in the late 1920s to early 1930s, when she was either a victim of a fatal car crash on the way to a night of dancing or the unfortunate victim of a hit-and-run accident while she was walking home in the rain. Read the story of Resurrection Mary: http://ow.ly/VGvj50LkI3s

10/21/2022

Need some costume inspo? Why not go as a food product! In this undated photograph, models perform as Swift meat products at an exhibition on behalf of Swift & Co. From left: Swift's Premium Meat Balls, Swift's Premium Butterball Young Turkey, Swift'ning Pure Shortening, Swift's Premium Fried Bacon, a container showing a horse-drawn carriage and the words "Speeding on the Avenue," what appears to be a paper bag, and Swift's Premium Hard Salami. Learn more about Swift & Co.: http://ow.ly/bnfz50LevSf // CHM, ICHi-1826890

10/20/2022

Skin feeling a bit dry? Might be time to get your humidifier* out. You can find this doll in "Chicago: Crossroads of America" as part of our scavenger hunt–style exhibition, "Haunted Dolls & History’s Horrors." https://chicagohistory.org/dolls *This doll is stored in a climate-controlled area that is regularly monitored.

10/19/2022

New on the blog: CHM costume collection manager Jessica Pushor talks about the life of Louis “Scotty” Piper, one of the designers featured in ": Selections from the Costume Collection." As a tailor on 47th Street in Bronzeville, Scotty Piper outfitted scores of Black entertainers such as T-Bone Walker and Rhythm Willie, as well as notable Chicagoans such as Harold Washington and Lou Rawls. With so many big names passing through his shop, collecting photographs of his customers and other celebrities, as well as local clubs, became a hobby for him. Learn more as Pushor talks about his fascinating life, decades-long career, and generous donations to both the Museum's costume and archival collections: http://ow.ly/iMb350LfIly

10/16/2022

This year, the Jewish festival of Sukkot began at sundown on Sunday, October 9, and ends in the evening of Sunday, October 16. In our latest blog post, CHM curator of religion and community history Rebekah Coffman explains the meaning and significance of the holiday and talks about an artifact in our collection that is inspired by it: http://ow.ly/Xftq50Lapyp

10/14/2022

New on the blog: To close out , two of our interns share the work they did this past summer at CHM. First, Bella Santos writes about printmaker Carlos Cortéz and how his art parallels the work of student activists at CHM. Then, Megha Khemka shares her research on Chicago as a sanctuary city by taking a close look at the case of Elvira Arellano.
Read Bella's blog post: http://ow.ly/7y9v50LaJBZ // Read Megha's blog post: http://ow.ly/hyg350LaJBY

10/13/2022

75 years ago, "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" debuted on local TV station WBKB. The beloved puppet show was unique in that it was ad-libbed, ran live daily, and was watched by more adults than children. Created by puppeteer Burr Tillstrom, the show first aired as "Junior Jamboree," but was changed to "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" within a few months. Tillstrom brought an extraordinary troupe of performers already familiar to many Chicagoans to WBKB. Joined by their front-of-stage friend Fran Allison, the Kuklapolitans—Oliver J. Dragon, Buelah Witch, Cecil Bill, Madame Ooglepuss, Fletcher Rabbit, Colonel Crackie, and Kukla himself—were welcomed into hundreds of thousands of American homes on network television shows of a variety of lengths and formats in the 1950s. The cast held improvised conversations about everyday life laced with humor, astute commentary on current events, original music, and perennial features. At the height of their popularity, the Kuklapolitans received 15,000 letters daily. The group continued to give occasional performances into the 1980s. Learn more about the show on Saturday, Oct. 15, at our FREE event "Back With You Again: Celebrating 75 Years of 'Kukla, Fran, and Ollie'": http://ow.ly/tQSO50L9gwh

10/12/2022

How we feel after too many Zoom meetings. Happy hump day, everyone🐪 You can find this doll in "Chicago: Crossroads of America" as part of our scavenger-hunt style exhibition, "Haunted Dolls & History’s Horrors." https://www.chicagohistory.org/dolls

10/09/2022

Good luck to everyone participating in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon today! These four photographs were taken by The Chicago Sun-Times photographer Al Podgorski, who ran the 1984 Chicago Marathon with a 35mm camera and 8 rolls of film. See more of his work for the Sun-Times: http://ow.ly/fIki50L4So4

10/08/2022

Picked out your pumpkin yet?🎃 In these photographs by a Chicago Sun-Times photographer, children select and carve pumpkins at an unidentified in Illinois, Oct. 18, 1992. See more images: http://ow.ly/76yI50L4Sz2

10/06/2022

in 1887, Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier, was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. While Le Corbusier never designed a building in Chicago, his influence on urban planning (particularly in the design of public housing) and brutalist architecture can be found in the Chicago we know and love today. In honor of Le Corbusier, we’re sharing some of the most iconic brutalist buildings in the city. Do you have a favorite? Share it with us!

10/05/2022

In early October 1871, Chicago was in the midst of a drought. In the three months leading up to the Great Fire, Chicago recorded 3.55 inches of precipitation, which was almost 8 inches below average. From September 29 through October 8, Chicago recorded no precipitation. It had also been unseasonably warm, with most high temperatures reaching the 70s or 80s. A strong low-pressure system moving across the Great Plains produced blustery winds, peaking at around 35‒45 mph out of the southwest. Winds this strong ensured that any fires that ignited would spread rapidly, which is exactly what happened on the night of October 8. Learn more in "City on Fire: ": https://www.chicago1871.org/

10/03/2022

It's . This calendar (1921) shows the former and future homes of the Sheridan Trust and Savings Bank—its landmark Uptown building would not be completed until 1928. While the cityscape around Lawrence and Broadway has changed slightly with the absence of streetcars, it remains a bustling commercial area with businesses, restaurants, as well as the Riviera Theatre. You can find this calendar and more in the . http://ow.ly/qes650KZXVX

10/01/2022

It's 🦇 This postcard (c. 1900) shows the Devil's Gorge at the White City Amusement Park at 63rd Street and South Parkway (later Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive). Opened in 1905, White City's offerings included a penny arcade, ballroom, roller rink, beer garden, and boardwalk–though only for white people. The park went bankrupt during the Great Depression and by 1933 only its roller rink remained open. In January 1946, a group of Black and white activists, many of them members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), began protesting at the rink against its discriminatory policy, with the rink officially dropping its ban and admitting Black skaters later that year. The rink closed in 1949, and by the late 1950s, the 694-unit Parkway Gardens housing project was built on the site. See more images: http://ow.ly/X3sf50KYJUs