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Chicago History Minute

In January of 1913, the Alpha Suffrage Club, founded by Ida Bell Wells-Barnett and Belle Squire, began working for the right to vote for African-American women.
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Exhibitions

Benjamin B. Green-Field Gallery and The Mazza Foundation Gallery

Chic Chicago:
Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum

September 27, 2008, through July 26, 2009
Chic Chicago presents the hallmarks of modern fashion. The exhibition's extraordinary garments date from 1861 to 2004 and represent the most prominent couturiers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Each gown has a strong connection to Chicago and belongs to the Museum's permanent collection.

> Learn more about Chic Chicago

Current Exhibitions

Treasures

Kovler Family lobby

CHICAGO@40: The Band and its City

December 4, 2007 through January 11, 2009
Chicago is one of the most successful U.S. pop/rock and roll bands of all time. To honor their 40th anniversary, museum curators teamed up with the band to create this commemorative installation. The display includes objects and materials drawn from the band's archive, recording their remarkable history.

Treasures

KPMG and Paul and Katherine Snyder Community gallery

Burnham 2.0:
A Patchwork Plan for the High-Speed Rail City

November 8, 2008 through April 26, 2009
The year 2009 marks the centennial of Daniel Burnham’s landmark 1909 Plan of Chicago. In this exhibition, entries for a design competition inspired by the plan envision Chicago as a hub for high-speed rail and demonstrate the lasting impact of Burnham’s work. Don’t miss this glimpse of the city of the future.

Upcoming Exhibitions

Treasures

Presented at Macy's on State, 111 N. State Street

How State Became Great

Opens January 17, 2009

Every city has one street that emerges as its center, and in Chicago, it is undeniably State Street. Discover the 140-year history of the nine blocks between Lake Street and Congress Parkway, and traced the street's transformation from a gritty thoroughfare to an elegant shopping district.

Treasures

Bessie Green-Field Warshawsky Gallery

Lincoln Treasures

Opens February 12, 2009

This family-friendly exhibition commemorates the accomplished life and tragic death of Abraham Lincoln. You'll see many of the Museum's prized Lincoln artifacts, including his pocket watch, desk, piano, and the bed in which he died.

Gettysburg Address

April 1, 2009 through May 3,2009

On view in the exhibition Lincoln Treasures, see Lincoln's handwritten speech that moved the nation toward understanding the reasons behind the country's bloodiest war. Four months after the end of the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln delivered his brief but powerful speech at the battle site for the dedication of the soldiers' cemetery. See one of the five handwritten copies of the speech, on loan from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

Treasures

Online exhibition

Lincoln at 200

Launches February 12, 2009

This online exhibition investigates Lincoln’s political philosophy and how it guided him—and the nation—through the Civil War. Built in collaboration with the Newberry Library, "Lincoln at 200" will feature more than 200 images from the Museum’s collection.

Permanent Exhibitions

Crossroads

The Exelon Wing

Chicago: Crossroads of America

Discover the city's vast history in Chicago: Crossroads of America. Whether you are interested in Chicago's changing economy, challenging crises, diverse neighborhoods, groundbreaking innovations, or lively cultural scene, this exhibition is a must see!

Enhance your experience of Chicago: Crossroads of America by taking an audio tour of the exhibition. Ask for the tour at our Visitor Center, or download it here and play it on your own MP3 device.

> Learn more about the Crossroads audio tours

> Download the Second City Crossroads audio tour in English

> Download the Second City Crossroads audio tour in Spanish

> Download the In Our Own Words teen audio tour in English

Dioramas

Tawani Foundation Diorama Hall

The Dioramas

Our much-loved dioramas have been restored and are better than ever! Visit the Tawani Foundation Diorama Hall to learn the story of Chicago's rise from a desolate frontier outpost in 1804 to the bustling city that hosted the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Engaging details invite you to look closely and put history into a larger context.

Treasures

Treasures

This series of building-wide installations promises to surprise you from the moment you step in the door. Highlights include a 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo lowrider, souvenirs from Chicago's world's fairs, and Abraham Lincoln's deathbed.

> View the lowrider video

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