Page 2 – Chicago History Museum

CHM director of research & access Ellen Keith shares about the most requested research collections from the Abakanowicz Research Center in 2024.

In 2024, staff at the Abakanowicz Research Center retrieved nearly 900 linear feet of archival material and more than 500 distinct collections. Here are the top five most requested in 2024, and if you followed what was requested in 2022 and 2023, no surprises for the top collection.

#5 – Glessner family papers [manuscript], 1851–1960, bulk 1864–81

Chicagoans now consider the Gold Coast the city’s most high-end neighborhood, but in the late 19th century, the most affluent neighborhood was Prairie Avenue, south of Roosevelt Road. One of the still extant homes there, now a house museum, is Glessner House. At the time, the socially prominent Glessner family was on par with the Armours and the Pullmans.

The J. J. Glessner residence at Prairie Avenue and 16th Street, Chicago, c. 1905. CHM, ICHi-068071; Charles R. Clark, photographer

#4 – Business and Professional People for the Public Interest records [manuscript], 1938–2003

The BPPPI (now Impact for Equity), a public interest law firm, most notably sued the Chicago Housing Authority on behalf of Dorothy Gautreaux for the placement of public housing in low-income, African American neighborhoods. Learn more in Alexander Polikoff’s Waiting for Gautreaux: A Story of Segregation, Housing, and the Black Ghetto.

Representatives of the BPPPI hold a press conference regarding the Red Squad at the Executive House Hotel, 71 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, January 5, 1977. Dr. Marvin Rosner is speaking at the podium, and Albert E. Jenner Jr. sits to the left of the podium. ST-60002106-0062, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM

#3 – Studs Terkel papers [graphic, manuscript], 1944–2008, bulk 1944–85

Louis “Studs” Terkel (1912–2008) was a well-known radio host, author, oral historian, and the Chicago History Museum’s first Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence. He published the oral history compilation Division Street: America in 1966, beginning a long career of conducting and publishing oral histories including Hard Times (1970), Working (1974), and American Dreams: Lost and Found (1980). Look for the upcoming podcast, Division Street Revisited, and in the meantime, check out digitized radio programs at the Studs Terkel Radio Archive.

Studs Terkel interviews Swedish opera singer Birgit Nilsson in a recording studio, Chicago, c. 1960. CHM, ICHi-025638; Stephen Deutch, photographer

#2 – Chicago Yacht Club records [manuscript], 1869–1999

Founded in 1875, Chicago’s oldest yacht club has sponsored the Race to Mackinac since 1898. This manuscript collection includes correspondence, membership lists, various announcements of activities, programs, and race results, as well as architectural drawings of its Belmont Harbor station.

The Chicago Yacht Club’s Monroe Station, 400 E. Monroe St., Chicago, April 26, 1985. ST-20002700-0014, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM

#1 – Chicago Police Department Red Squad and related records [manuscript], c. 1930s–1986, bulk 1963–74

The winner and still champion! As these are records of surveillance by the CPD of suspected “subversives,” which included anarchists, suspected communists, labor organizers, and reform organizations, this collection is governed by a court order.

CHICAGO (January 2, 2025) – The Chicago History Museum is thrilled to offer numerous Illinois resident free days to kick off 2025, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the city’s rich history. Free days will be on the following dates: January 20–24 and 28–31, and Tuesday–Friday every week in February, as well as Presidents’ Day. Learn more and purchase tickets here.

“The Chicago History Museum is a must-visit destination for anyone interested in the history of this great American city,” said one recent visitor. “Whether you’re interested in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the city’s role in the Civil Rights Movement, or the rise of Chicago’s many famous politicians, you’ll find something to pique your interest and leave with a newfound appreciation for Chicago’s rich and diverse history.”

In addition to upcoming free days, a series of programs will take place at the start of the new year, including events on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day. Learn more about upcoming Museum events here.

Closing Soon
City on Fire: Chicago 1871
Closing January 26, 2025
Designed for families, City on Fire: Chicago 1871 explores the impact the fire had on the city and its people. The exhibition takes visitors through events and conditions that led to devastation and recovery and sheds light on what life was like in 1871. Following the detailed path of the fire, from the O’Learys’ barn north and east through the city, visitors are immersed in the destruction of the fire and the decisions that civilians were faced with as they fled danger. Learn more here.

During the month of January, the Museum will be screening WTTW’s The Great Chicago Fire: A Chicago Stories Special in the afternoon. The film brings to life this seismic event as never before, using vivid animations, elaborate recreations, and interviews with historians and the descendants of eyewitnesses. The screenings are included in Museum admission.

On View
Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s
Chicago activists in the 1960s and ’70s used design to create powerful slogans, symbols and imagery to amplify their visions for social change. See more than 100 posters, fliers, signs, buttons, newspapers, magazines and books from the era, expressing often radical ideas about race, war, gender equality and sexuality that challenged mainstream culture of the time. Learn more here.

Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective
Featuring 70+ rarely seen objects, from glamorous gowns and sharp suits to housedresses and sneakers, the exhibition explores how clothing captures material, social and changing cultural values throughout history. The exhibition celebrates 100 years of an incredible collection and the donors, curators and staff who have shaped it. Learn more here.

Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till
In 1955, the murder of Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, and the subsequent criminal trial in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, attracted international attention and sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till begins with photographs of a joyful Emmett in life and of his funeral attended by thousands. The trial proceedings are then shared through courtroom sketches by Franklin McMahon. These drawings give a visual account of a trial that amplified the inequities Black Americans face within the US court system, including a lack of equal protection under the law. Learn more here.

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ABOUT THE CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM
The Chicago History Museum is situated on ancestral homelands of the Potawatomi people, who cared for the land until forced out by non-Native settlers. Established in 1856, the Museum is located at 1601 N. Clark Street in Lincoln Park, its third location. A major museum and research center for Chicago and U.S. history, the Chicago History Museum strives to be a destination for learning, inspiration, and civic engagement. Through dynamic exhibitions, tours, publications, special events and programming, the Museum connects people to Chicago’s history and to each other. The Museum collects and preserves millions of artifacts, documents, and images to assist in sharing Chicago stories. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chicago Park District on behalf of the people of Chicago.

Bes-Ben was best known for fantastical hats, but what did the man who created them wear? In this blog post, CHM costume collection intern Penelope Ham writes about Benjamin Benedict Green-Field’s personal style.

While milliner Benjamin Green-Field (1898–1988), cofounder of the Bes-Ben hat shop, is renowned for his unconventional hats, his equally iconic personal wardrobe is not as well-known. In addition to the nickname of “The Mad Hatter of Chicago,” Green-Field was also described as flamboyant, extravagant, and a “connoisseur of art and design.”

Benjamin Green-Field flanked by Barbara Lowe (Mrs. A. Loring Rowe, left) and Hanchen Stern (Mrs. Gardner H. Stern, right) at the opening reception of the exhibition The Whimsical World of Bes-Ben Hats at the Chicago Historical Society, April 14, 1976. CHM, ICHi-069732

He loved to travel and made more than 59 trips around the world in his lifetime. He was fascinated with life overseas and wrote in great detail about what he saw during his travels. Green-Field’s deep interest in clothing and textiles was greatly influenced by his travels, and his wardrobe consisted largely of custom suits made from fabrics he would buy abroad.

Suit, c. 1975. Silk. Gents Tailor Alberts, India. Gift of Mr. Benjamin B. Green-Field. 1978.163a-c. Top: CHM, ICHi-170032. Bottom: CHM, ICHi-170037

The purpose and conventional use of the fabric was of little importance to him, and some, such as the jacket below, were made of upholstery fabrics. One newspaper in Capri knew him as “the man of twenty shirts,” and he was followed by the press everywhere he went due to his extravagant outfits and his love for being photographed.

In addition to elaborate patterns, his suits also provide a number of other eye-catching, intricate details. The jacket and pants contain many pockets, on both the inside and outside of the garments, as well as extra pleating in the back, almost evocative of a skirt.

Man’s suit of multicolored tapestry fabric. 1989.562.1.82a-c.

Pictured above is one of Green-Field’s iconic suit jackets. In addition to many pockets, this jacket is also collarless and would have been paired with an equally showy shirt or tie.

Here is a back view of the same jacket. On the sides, some of the skirt-like pleating can be seen.

The jacket’s interior has an equally lavish lining, another hallmark of Green-Field’s suits. In some cases, he opted for a simpler fabric on the outside. The lining would not be seen by the public and therefore was just for him to enjoy.

Although the Bes-Ben shop closed its doors for good in 1978 following the decline of hats in fashion, Green-Field’s legacy lives on today through his vibrant clothes, unique designs, and spectacular sense of style. You can learn more about Benjamin Benedict Green-Field and see a selection of Bes-Ben hats in our exhibition Chicago: Crossroads of America.

Additional Resources

View photographs of select Bes-Ben hats from our Costume and Textiles Collection
Read our blog post “A Perfect Hat for Fall“
For further reading, try Elizabeth Jachimowicz’s book Bes-Ben: Chicago’s Mad Hatter
Learn about the Benjamin B. Green-Field Foundation, which strives to improve the quality of life for children and the elderly in Chicago.

As part of her work on our upcoming exhibition Aquí en Chicago, CHM curator of civic engagement and social justice Elena Gonzales has been examining how we can find Latin American heritage in unexpected places that connect us to unexpected allies and unknown cousins.

Latin American heritage is broad, and our tidy ideas about what this “region” is are often incomplete. Here is a brief look at a few examples that help us understand the concept of a global Latin America, where colonizer, language, and geography do not neatly determine the boundaries of the region.

Haiti

Chicago’s first non-Native permanent settler, Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable (d. 1818), was Haitian. Our Latine history starts before Chicago was even a city.

Engraving titled “Chicago in 1779,” depicting the cabin of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable and his portrait, c. 1926–32. Published by A. Ackermann & Sons Inc. CHM, ICHi-005623; Raoul Varin, artist

The first stop for Christopher Columbus in the Americas was La Navidad in what is now Haiti. There, Columbus encountered Taíno people, part of the Arawak group of Indigenous people, who Europeans also encountered in what would become Puerto Rico. Today, the Taíno word “Boricua” refers to a Puerto Rican identity with a backbone of Indigeneity.

World’s Columbian Exposition souvenir coin purse with a painted scene depicting the landing of Christopher Columbus, Chicago, c. 1893. CHM, ICHi-036259

This heritage connects Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR), which share the island of Hispaniola. The two nations also have a legacy of division based on race and religion that is still playing out today. They developed differently through different patterns of colonization—predominantly Spanish in DR and Spanish (1492–1625) followed by French and then the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) in Haiti.

Haiti’s revolution in 1804 ended the largest revolt by enslaved people in history, and Haiti became the first free Black republic in the Western Hemisphere. Following the Haitian Revolution, colonial powers such as Spain, France, and the United States sought to distance Haiti from Latin America even further, culturally and politically. They feared that Haiti’s example would inspire additional Latin American nations to seek independence. Thomas Jefferson cut off aid to François-Dominique Toussaint L’Ouverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution. The United States did not recognize Haiti as an independent nation until 1862. The first president of Haiti, Alexandre Sabès Pétion, aided Simón Bolívar in liberating Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia.

There are approximately 40,000 Haitians in the Chicago area, and the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC) is an advisor of CHM, as is the Dominican American Midwest Association (DAMA). Haitian migrants continue to migrate to Chicago, as it is a sanctuary city. HAMOC provides legal resources regarding immigration to Haitian and non-Haitian new arrivals and migrants throughout Illinois.

Brazil

Despite Brazil’s colonization by the Portuguese rather than the Spanish, the US Census categorizes Brasileiros as “Hispanic or Latino.” This is another illustration of the entangled identities within Latine as a category.

In the 1980s, Brazilians came to Chicago during the dictatorship of João Figueiredo (1964–85), whose regime the United States helped establish. Brazilians in Chicago tend to be middle class and tend to stay in Chicago to work or attend school before returning to Brazil or settling in suburbs.

Members of the Brazilian Consulate protest the murder of Father Antonio Henrique and other Brazilian priests, 903 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, June 26,1969. ST-60002649-0011, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM

Brazilian identity is complicated. Many light-skinned Brazilians in Chicago prefer the European identity of “Portuguese” on the census. Afro-Brazilians select “Black not Hispanic,” putting race first. Geopolitically, they also identify as Latin American. There are approximately 55,000 Brazilians in the Chicago area, and the Brazilian Cultural Center is an advisor of CHM.

Philippines

The Philippines is a Southeast Asian nation comprising 7,641 islands with a diverse history of intra-Asian migration and European colonization. During nearly four centuries of colonization in the Philippines, the Spanish profoundly influenced everything from the name of the islands to the form of governance, economy, cuisine, agriculture, religion, social structure, and language. The Hispanic presence in the Philippines also involved trade between Mexico and the Philippines during the 1600s, which resulted in Filipinos living in Mexico and vice versa.

Milk glass dish by Westmoreland Specialty Co. in the shape of an eagle sitting on a nest of eggs, 1898. The ribbon on the front says “The American Hen,” and the eggs are labeled “Purto Rica” (Puerto Rico), Cuba, and Philippines. The design is influenced by the Spanish American War. CHM, ICHi-179109

From the mid-18th century on, Filipinos rebelled against the Spanish, who ruled the Philippines from Mexico until Mexican independence in 1821. By the 1860s, only 5–10% of the population spoke Spanish fluently. The government sought to increase that rate, but Filipinos sought independence. Filipinos nearly had independence in their grasp when the United States stepped in to “assist” in their revolution. Instead, they took over colonial rule from Spain. The United States immediately went to war against the Filipino Revolution (1899–1902/1912) even while working on terms for the Philippines as a new colony.

Portrait of a Filipino string sextet at the WMAQ radio station, Chicago, December 1924. DN-0078368, Chicago Daily News collection, CHM

During World War II, the United States and Japan grappled for control of the islands. The Philippines ended up independent but still burdened by their relationship to the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 145,000 Filipinos live in the Chicago area. The Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago is an advisor on this project.

Belize

Like its neighbors, Mexico and Guatemala, Belize was part of the Maya empire for nearly three millennia, from possibly as early as 1500 BCE to roughly 1200 CE. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish and British fought over which nation would control Belize as a colony, and Britain won. Belize gained independence from Britain in 1981 but remained part of the Commonwealth. Thus, even though it is geographically part of Latin America, it has some important cultural differences.

In addition, Belize has multiple types of Indigenous cultural heritage, both Maya and Garinagu. The Garinagu people (who speak Garifuna) are descendants of pre-Columbian African traders and Indigenous people of South America. They migrated to the Caribbean island of St. Vincent between 160 and 1220 CE. There, the Spanish, Dutch, French, and British fought for control of the Garinagu land for 300 years until Britain ultimately won. After the Garinagu failed in their rebellion against the British in the 1790s, roughly 5,000 Garinagu were exiled from St. Vincent to Belize, helping to create the mixed population in that country today. Chicago is home to a Garinagu and partly Garifuna speaking population.

Exterior of Garifuna Flava restaurant, 2518 W. 63rd St., which is know for their Caribbean, Latin, and indigenous Garifuna cuisine, July 2024. Image from Google Maps.

There is much more to learn about places that touch on these shared histories. For those interested in more research, the histories of Guyana, Grenada, Guam, Equatorial Guinea, and the Marianas are excellent next steps.

Bibliography

Andries, Daniel, Alexandra Silets, and Jane Lynch. Out & Proud in Chicago. Window to the World Communications, Inc, 2008.

Bauer, Heike. The Hirschfeld Archives: Violence, Death, and Modern Queer Culture. Temple University Press, 2017.

Bullough, Vern L. Science in the Bedroom: A History of Sex Research. Basic Books, 1994.

Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. “Henry Gerber.” Accessed December 3, 2024.

De la Croix, St. Sukie. Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall. University of Wisconsin Press, 2012.

Elledge, Jim. The Boys of Fairy Town: Sodomites, Female Impersonators, Third-Sexers, Pansies, Queers, and Sex Morons in Chicago’s First Century. Chicago Review Press, 2018.

Francis, Meredith. “The Chicagoan Who Founded the Earliest Gay rights Group in America.” WTTW. Accessed December 3, 2024.

Gerber, Henry. “The Society for Human Rights – 1925.” One, September, 1962. Accessed December 3, 2024.

Nash, Carl. “Gay and Lesbian Rights Movement.” Encyclopedia of Chicago. Accessed December 3, 2024.

Johnson, David K. “The Kids of Fairytown: Gay Male Culture on Chicago’s Near North Side in the 1930s.” In Creating a Name for Ourselves: Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community Histories, edited by Brett Beemyn. Routledge, 1997.

Katz, Jonathan Ned. “Henry Gerber: Gay Pioneer.” In Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City’s Gay Community, edited by Tracy Baim. Surrey Books, 2008.

Legacy Project. “Henry Gerber – Nominee.” Accessed December 3, 2024.

Legacy Project. “The Society for Human Rights.” Accessed December 3, 2024.

National Park Service. “LGBT Activism: The Henry Gerber House, Chicago, IL.” Accessed December 3, 2024.

Today would have been the 110th birthday of Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci, marking more than 70 years of his influential designs since the start of his career in 1947. In this blog post, CHM costume collection intern Eloise Lyons writes about flight attendant uniforms Pucci designed for Braniff International Airways that are in CHM’s Costume and Textiles Collection.

Front cover (left) and page 8 (right) of This Week magazine, Chicago Daily News, October 2, 1965.

With the increasing prevalence and accessibility of airline travel in the 1960s and ’70s, many airline companies sought out new ways to capitalize on the moment and capture the imagination of potential travelers and jet-setters. One such airline, Braniff International Airways, hired Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci (1914–92) to create flight attendant uniforms for their rebranding of Braniff from 1965 to 1974. Pucci’s vibrant and contemporary designs would inspire other airlines to follow suit, evolving the style of uniforms from the 1960s to the ’70s. Since Braniff International Airways flew out of Chicago and had offices in the city, the Chicago History Museum was gifted four complete ensembles from the original collection of flight attendant uniforms.

At a time when air travel was booming, airlines set themselves apart through their designs and stylish female flight attendants. Braniff marketed this transition as, “the end of the plain plane” and redesigned their airplanes’ interiors and exteriors to match their groovy and lavish makeover. Their planes were brightly colored in oranges and blues. Pucci’s redesign of Braniff’s uniforms brought his high fashion and casual wear together to create a layering of clothes for flight attendants to quickly change in and out of. The new makeover was marketed toward male travelers, sexualizing the female-dominated role of the flight attendant from the 1960s to the ’70s.

The zippered jacket allowed for quick changes. Note the Braniff bird emblem on the right chest area.

In 1965 Pucci released the “AirStrip,” also called the “Gemini IV.” Each piece was interchangeable and layerable. Pucci was able to create chic but comfortable uniforms that adapted to the working conditions of the flight attendants. The bold pink skirt and suit could be worn over the purple turtleneck blouse and culottes, while the lime green coat was functional for weather changes while flying.

Pucci chose a swing coat style for his Braniff uniform design. It was featured on the front cover of Chicago Daily News’ This Week magazine.

“The Puccino” was meant to be worn as an apron and was released in a variety of bright colors. Pucci’s accessories were just as bold, including, most notably, the “bubble helmet,” designed to protect flight attendants from the rain. Its aesthetic was inspired by the retro-futuristic look of mid-60s airline travel.

“The Puccino” had a zipper and sash in the back of the garment.

Pucci’s Gemini IV also inspired its own Barbie collection, another example of the influence that Pucci’s designs had on the style of uniforms, but also the way in which the flight attendant position was marketed as desirable to young women through designer clothing. The Braniff gift set featured all four of the pieces in the Chicago History Museum’s collection and their accessories, such as the matching gloves, boots, space helmet, and flats.

Bibliography

Contact@somethingabouttheboy.com. “1967 the Braniff International Pilot Ken.” Something About The Boy, September 24, 2023.

Imperato, Simone. “Emilio Pucci for Braniff Int’l.” PASHION FLOWER, October 16, 2014.

Lehoczky, Etelka. “Stewardess Chic ; when Air Travel Meant More than just Getting there: [Chicago Final Edition].” Chicago Tribune, April 2, 2003.

Maher, Mary and Barry Rohan. “You can Hardly Tell they’re Uniforms: … and that’s the Big News. Uniforms are Getting More Stylish, Less Institutionalized.” Chicago Tribune, October 17, 1965.

“Press Images.” Fashion Takes Flight in New SFO Museum Exhibition | SFO Museum. Accessed August 22, 2024.

“The 1960s Pucci Air Hostess Uniforms, Ideal for Mile High ‘Stripping.’” Messy Nessy Chic, January 23, 2018.

“Women’s Fashion and the Airline Industry.” National Air and Space Museum, December 7, 2021.

Stitch the designs from this dress yourself by machine or hand using the files linked at the end of this post and be sure to share them using the hashtag #CHMRALF!

↓ Jump to designs.

When you come up close and personal with a piece of historical clothing, it’s hard not to wonder what kind of life it had before. In the costume collection at CHM, sometimes the provenance records give a clear picture of a piece’s past, but sometimes they only reveal a tiny portion of it. This 18th-century dress currently on display in our exhibition Dressed in History is one such item, and though we only have documentation on the last 100 years of its life, careful study can reveal so much more!

A front view of a cream colored 18th century court dress with wide panniers, and lace covering the stomacher, petticoat, and edges of the over skirt. Fabric is covered with red, yellow, and blue bunches of roses tied with red and blue bows and connected by vines. — ICHi-179553

A back view of a cream colored 18th century court dress with wide panniers and lace at the sleeves. Symmetrical pleats begin at the base of the neck and reach the floor. Fabric is covered with red, yellow, and blue bunches of roses tied with red and blue bows and connected by vines. — ICHi-179557

Front and back views of the robe à la française. CHM, ICHi-179553 and ICHi-179557

This robe à la française (or RALF, for short), first entered the Museum’s collection in 1920 as part of the Charles F. Gunther Collection and was reported to have belonged to Queen Caroline of the United Kingdom. However, with no evidence to prove the claim, the Museum sold the dress at a rummage sale. Bertha Baur (1861–1967), a wealthy politician, businesswoman, and socialite, bought it in 1926 for $150 and wore it to various fancy-dress balls and parties. She modified the dress by adding a wide elastic waistband to the underskirt. In 2016, her granddaughter Romia Bull donated the gown to the Museum.

A black and white photo of a middle aged woman in a tall white powdered wig and wearing an 18th century court dress without the supportive panniers underneath it. She holds a fan in her right hand. — ICHi-183726

Bertha Baur in her robe à la française at the Art Ball, Chicago, c. 1927. CHM, ICHi-183726

So, what can we learn about this dress’s life before it came to Chicago? We brought in embroidery expert and historical costuming superstar, Dr. Christine Millar (known as @Sewstine online) to study and digitize the embroidery on this dress for anyone to use. Research and insights analyst Marissa Croft sat down with her to find out more about what she learned after studying this gown.

Dr. Christine Millar leans over an antique garment that is opened at the front to reveal the interior. Michael Hall holds the sleeve of the garment and wears blue gloves.

Dr. Christine Millar studying the robe à la française with mount maker Michael Hall.

Marissa: What is special about this particular dress?

Christine: I can’t emphasize enough that this is a very unique dress, because there are very few surviving examples of fully embroidered 18th-century dresses. Robes à la française with designs are usually made of brocade fabric, which is woven using special looms. The embroidery on this dress, on the other hand, is done by hand on a very fine silk material. First, the material would be stretched over a hoop, then the design would be penciled onto the fabric, before finally being sent to a workshop to then be meticulously stitched out by a team of embroiderers.

The fabric used in the dress is 28 inches wide and there are about 20 yards of hand-stitched fabric in the dress. This amount of embroidery would have been a true status symbol. It likely took months to stitch out. In all my years of looking online and visiting museums, this is my first time seeing a gown where the fabric was fully embroidered and then stitched together!

M: Can you tell us a little bit about the materials used in this dress?

C: The stitching was done with chenille thread, which looks like pipe cleaner without the wire. It’s stitched on beautifully woven silk satin, and the weave is so tight, there’s really no comparable fabric like it being made today. The dress also has yards and yards of handmade 18th-century fly-fringe or passementerie trim on it, which are made from the same chenille thread as the embroidery, so we can assume it was probably created around the same time as the fabric was stitched.

Close up view of the embroidered embellishments and lace on an 18th century robe à la francaise. On top of a strip of wide lace is a curving green vine and pink flower made out of chenille thread.

Detail shot of the passementerie and lace on the dress. [Image by Marissa Croft]

M: What do you like most about embroidery?

C: You’re essentially painting with threads, there’s so much more shading and depth to the designs so the overall effect on the fabric is so different from brocade, more 3-dimensional. I also love that with this embroidery pattern, all the bouquets of flowers are slightly different designs, and that really pulls at my heartstrings because they’re all done by hand, by a human! When I digitize these hand-created motifs, I like to also try to capture that organic nature.

M: How did you first get into embroidery and historical costume?

C: I started as a cosplayer, but I’ve been making costumes since I was a kid. At NYU in undergrad, my favorite clothing pieces I came across were always ones from history, because I was entranced by the level of detail they had. I love to try and copy museum pieces, because it adds another layer of challenge and allows me to be much more detailed.

As for embroidery, I’ve always been someone who loved illustration, so I’m drawn to embroidery’s illustration-like properties. However, hand embroidery can take such a long time to do, so with my first paycheck as a doctor I bought an embroidery machine and the software. It’s so satisfying to draw something on the computer and then it comes out painted in thread on a beautiful fabric a short time later!

What did your digitization process look like for this design?

This design took about 12 hours total. First, I used my phone to get a perfectly flat image from above, with a ruler for scale. I then brought the images onto my computer and started digitizing it one color at a time, figuring out which direction the stitches would need to go in. Then, I ran tests of the designs, going color by color.

Even though the stitching on a machine may go faster, switching colors to get the layers of the design right can take more time vs stitching it out by hand, which was how these flowers were originally made. There are about 60 color changes in this design!

Disclaimer: For personal use only. Commercial use of this digital representation of embroidery designs is strictly prohibited; but you may, without permission, copy, modify, distribute, display, or otherwise use these designs for noncommercial purposes.

Download the Historical Florals Embroidery Pack

Read before downloading: Instructions for Historical Florals
Download the Historical Florals Zip File

PRIMARY SOURCE TYPE: 2D OBJECTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, DOCUMENTS

Chicago Artists in the 1960s and ’70s used design to create powerful slogans, symbols, and imagery to amplify their visions for social change. This learning guide encourages deeper exploration into the exhibition themes of racism, war, gender inequality, and LGBTQIA+ discrimination and encourages students to use their own art and ideas to uphold the city’s rich legacy of protest art to fight for social change.

The learning guide contains field trip supports, student articles related to the main section of the exhibition, and art making activities. The image packet is available as a separate download. To make printing easier, options to download specific student handouts are available below. All student handouts are in English and Spanish.

Download the full Learning Guide (PDF). This PDF includes all teacher information and instructions and all student readings and activities.

Field Trip

If you are able to visit the Chicago History Museum on a field trip, incorporate one of the following activities to help your students engage with the exhibition. All activities are in both English and Spanish.

3-1-2 Graphic Organizer. Encourage your students to explore the entire exhibition, and respond to the artworks, topics, and artists along the way with this graphic organizer. Download 3-1-2 Graphic Organizer (PDF)

Historical Head. Consider the thoughts, motivations, and goals of the organizations and people in the Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s-70s exhibition by filling a head with their ideas! Back in the classroom use the completed heads to have a classroom discussion. Download Historical Head (PDF)

Gallery Explorer. The Designing for Change and Facing Freedom exhibitions both examine social justice issues in the United States. Use this graphic organizer to help students explore both spaces and consider the how people advocate for themselves and others. Download Gallery Explorer (PDF)

Student Articles

Based on the exhibition, labels and catalog, these five articles provide context and introduce the movements, ideas, and artists featured in the exhibition. Articles are available in both English and Spanish. If you are unable to visit the exhibition in person, these articles can serve as the entry point to the content and to the arts making activities featured in the Learning Guide.

The Chicago Freedom Movement and Art for Fair Housing: English (PDF) / Spanish (PDF)
Say it Loud: Black Art for Black Power: English (PDF) / Spanish (PDF)
Stop the War: Chicagoans Protests the Vietnam War with Art: English (PDF) / Spanish (PDF)
Women Organize for Change: English (PDF) / Spanish (PDF)
Creating a Community: Chicago’s LGBTQIA+ Rights Organizations: English (PDF) / Spanish (PDF)

Image Packet

“Education is a Right by William Estrada

Explore some of the photographs and images featured in the student articles and exhibition and use them to further develop and support your classroom instruction. Download Image Packet (PDF)

Art Making

Students can be artivists too! Engage your students in making buttons, zines, or prints to express their ideas for social change. Kick off their art making with this student planner, in both English and Spanish. Download Art Making planner (PDF)

CHICAGO (October 31, 2024) – On August 28, 1955, Emmett Till was kidnapped, tortured, killed and dumped in the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi. He was 14 years old. Just a few weeks later, his murderers, Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam, were put on trial. When it was time to deliver the verdict, an all-white male jury deliberated for just 67 minutes before acquitting Bryant and Milam. Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till, opening at the Chicago History Museum on November 23, will share Emmett’s story and legacy through photographs of the joyful life he led in Chicago, the gut-wrenching images from his funeral and the original courtroom sketches of the trial.

Fondly referred to as “Bobo” or “Bo” by family and friends, Emmett Till was born in Argo (now Summit), Ill., on July 25, 1941. While spending the summer with family in Mississippi, he was attacked and killed after being accused of offending a white woman. Three days after his abduction, his body was recovered. He was brought back to Chicago where more than 100,000 people filed past the glass-topped casket at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ.

“People had to face my son and realize just how twisted, how distorted, how terrifying race hatred could be. They would have to see their own responsibility in pushing for an end to this evil,” said Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.

Less than three weeks after Emmett’s body was found, the trial began. By that time, thousands of Americans had seen the gut-wrenching photographs of his body in Jet magazine. Journalists from around the country traveled to Mississippi to cover the trial. During the trial, Chicago-based artist-reporter Franklin McMahon documented the proceedings, creating sketches that would appear in an issue of Life magazine. In 2004, the Museum acquired these drawings, which will be on display in “Injustice.”

“These drawings give a visual account of a trial that amplified the inequities Black Americans face within the U.S. court system, including a lack of equal protection under the law,” says exhibition curator Charles E. Bethea, the Andrew W. Mellon Director of Curatorial Affairs & Collections. “With more than forty works ranging from simple pencil sketches to intricate drawings with added ink wash, McMahon’s documentation is an invaluable record of what became one of the seminal moments of the modern Civil Rights Movement.”

The exhibition will highlight not only Emmett Till’s life and the trial following his murder but also the impact of his story. Connections to modern instances of racial discrimination and imagery depicting the fight against racial injustice including the Chicago March of Justice for George Floyd in June 2020 will be part of the exhibition.

“What happened to Emmett is a difficult part of U.S. history, and Injustice demonstrates the impacts that systemic racism, inequality and anti-Blackness can have on Black lives,” says Bethea. “Through this exhibition, we hope visitors will consider how Emmett Till’s legacy continues in those seeking justice for Black lives today.”

The Chicago History Museum invites the public to join them in learning from and reflecting on Emmett Till’s life through this look at his murder trial and the ripple effects of his story.

For more information, please visit the Chicago History Museum’s website or contact the Museum’s press office.

Media kit available here: https://chicagohistory.box.com/s/jbr52mrgtlp98v042zdy8bp5rv0wo9jk

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To learn more or request an interview with a spokesperson, please contact the Museum’s Public Communications Manager.

In July 2024, an historic letter, penned by famed Potawatomi leader Simon Pokagon in 1898, was donated to the Chicago History Museum by trustee John Low. Low is an author, historian, and professor at The Ohio State University, and a member of the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi. He has written extensive articles and books on Potawatomi history and has worked to preserve ancient Indian effigy mound burial areas in Ohio and the Midwest.

Low purchased the letter from an online auction after being alerted by his friend and fellow tribe member Mike Winchester.

“It is not often that you find an historic source-document like this come for sale,” Low notes. “This letter was hand-written by Simon Pokagon and helps shed light on his authorship of a book by Pokagon printed shortly after his death.”

Portrait of Simon Pokagon, The City Beyond the White City: Simon Pokagon and The Red Man’s Rebuke/the Red Man’s Greeting. Public domain.

Simon Pokagon (1830–99) was a lifelong advocate for repatriation of traditional Indian lands, even meeting with President Abraham Lincoln to plead the Potawatomi’s case. Simon’s father, Chief Leopold Pokagon (1775–1841), attended the 1833 Treaty of Chicago and negotiated favorable concessions for his people that ultimately saved them from being evicted from their southwest Michigan lands. In 1838, the federal government removed 850 Potawatomi members from their northern Indiana homes in what became known as the Potawatomi Trail of Death—a forced march from Indiana to Kansas that resulted in the deaths of 40 people on the 660-mile, two-month journey. Due to Leopold’s astute negotiations, the Pokagon Potawatomi group was spared from the march and allowed to remain in Michigan. Leopold then successfully petitioned the Michigan Supreme Court to allow his people to stay on land that he had purchased.

In 1893, Simon Pokagon published The Red Man’s Rebuke, a pamphlet in protest of the World’s Columbian Exposition. In it, he pointed out the violent and unjust treatment of Native Americans and declared that American Indians could not celebrate the world’s fair anniversary of Christopher Columbus, whose arrival destroyed their way of life. Printed on birch bark pages and tied together into a book, The Red Man’s Rebuke was a bold statement that challenged US colonialism.

Cover of The Red Man’s Rebuke by Chief Simon Pokagon, printed on birch bark sheet. Published by C.H. Engle, Hartford, Michigan, 1893. CHM, ICHi-065246

In it, Pokagon writes:

In behalf of my people, the American Indians, I hereby declare to you, the pale-faced race that has usurped our lands and homes, that we have no spirit to celebrate with you the Great Columbian Fair now being held in this Chicago city, the wonder of the world. No; sooner would we hold high joy-day over the graves of our departed fathers, than to celebrate our own funeral, the discovery of America. And while you who are strangers, and you who live here, bring the offerings of the handiwork of your own lands, and your hearts in admiration rejoice over the beauty and grandeur of this young republic, and you say, “Behold the wonders wrought by our children in this foreign land,” do not forget that this success has been at the sacrifice of our homes and a once happy race.

Pokagon went on to speak at the World’s Columbian Exposition on “Chicago Day” to an audience of 75,000 people. His speech was more conciliatory than The Red Man’s Rebuke—calling for all races to assimilate and work together toward common aims. In an act of goodwill, he presented a ceremonial “Deed to Chicago” at the fair. His approach, however, was criticized by some Potawatomi tribal members and others who questioned his authority to do so.

Simon Pokagon died in 1899, and his final book, O-gi-waw-kwe Mit-i-gwa-ki (Queen of the Woods), was published months after his death. The romantic novel tells the story of Pokagon’s wife, Lodinaw, and earned Pokagon the title the “Red Man’s Longfellow” by literary fans. However, many critics, including some in his own tribe, questioned whether the book was ghostwritten by Sarah Engle, the wife of Pokagon’s publisher/attorney.

Low believes the Simon Pokagon letter, written in 1898, provides clues to the true authorship of the book. In it, Pokagon writes about completing Queen of the Woods, proof that he was writing the book one year before its publication. In addition, he uses Potawatomi and Ojibwe/Odawa words in his letter, much like the writing style in his known books and publications.

In an article penned for the Historical Society of Michigan, Low suggests the letter confirms Pokagon’s writing abilities that make him the likely true author of Queen of the Woods. “The substantial length of the letter,” Low notes, “shows the writer to be very literate and capable of the writings ascribed to him.”

CHM trustee John Low presents the Simon Pokagon letter to Julie Wroblewski, former CHM director of collections. Photograph by Eric Miller, July 19, 2024.

Julie Wroblewski, former Chicago History Museum director of collections, agrees with Low’s theory. “Although this letter was written in 1898, it’s as if Chief Pokagon is speaking to us today,” Wroblewski adds. “It’s a simple letter to Pokagon’s friend that also shows the work of an accomplished writer.”

“This letter adds significant depth and context to the Simon Pokagon material at the Museum, including an original copy of Red Man’s Rebuke,” Wroblewski points out. “We are honored to add this important document to our collection to ensure it will be preserved and available for public access to future scholars and researchers.”

The letter is a response to a request for a subscription to a forthcoming magazine called The Coming Age. Pokagon wishes his friend good luck with the new venture, noting that he “can not at present subscribe” and that he is working on writing his book, Queen of the Woods. He then goes on to recommend three friends who could be contacted to ask for a subscription.

The Coming Age: A Magazine of Constructive Thought, vol. 1, no 1. January 1899. Image courtesy of Eric Miller, 2024.

The first issue of The Coming Age: A Magazine of Constructive Thought was printed in January 1899, less than two months after Pokagon’s letter. The magazine’s founder and editor, author B. O. (Benjamin Orange) Flower, is likely the recipient of Pokagon’s letter. Pokagon closes his letter with a blessing to his friend written in both English and Potawatomi and Ojibwe/Odawa. The vivid writing style is similar in style to the text in his many books and publications.

The text of the letter reads:

Hartford Mich Oct 26 1898

Editor of Coming (sic) age My Dear Friend and Brother

Your circular at hand. Am indeed glad to know you have started out on a different venture, but still are the secure trail-founding away for better days, at the door of tyrannical customs, fashions & all that holds the deserving in bonds of poverty & his grace – I regret I can not at the present subscribe for the “Coming age” – But the fact is ‒ over

I am striving every move to publish “Queen of the Woods” a book that I long have been desirous to have published

I send you herewith the following names

Mrs Marsella Goodspeed

Mrs Lydia Young

H.M. Alney all of Hartford Mich

I feel like taking you by the hand my dear Brother & say God bless your noble soul. May “Waw-Kwe’ (Heaven) bless “The Coming Age” most abundantly, & hasten the time when when all classes & races shall acknowledge each other as brothers and that Kiji’ man-l-to o-os-si’-maw kaw-ke’-naw (is God the father of all) Sincerely, yours Chief Simon Pokagon

The front and back of the letter written by Simon Pokagon, 1898. Photograph by Eric Miller, 2024.

Read the full press release of Low’s generous donation.

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