Chicago City-Wide Collection

Abstract

The Chicago City-Wide Collection consists of a wide assortment of manuscript, printed and photographic materials on multiple topics. It includes biographical, business, cultural, educational, municipal, recreation, religious, social and transportation source materials. The collection is designed to gather together materials that relate to the city as a whole and to include materials from Chicago communities that fall outside of the Library’s existing neighborhood collection strengths. In addition, the collection covers the Loop and Downtown areas and contains a wide range of guide and souvenir viewbooks geared toward tourism; sketches and images from historical events, especially the Chicago Fire of 1871; a series of Chicago maps dating back to 1835; and several significant maps of Chicago parks, including several 19th century maps for West and South Park Commissions and 134 of 171 maps created as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the 1930s.

Biographical/Historical

Chicago is the traditional homelands of Hoocąk (Winnebago/Ho’Chunk), Jiwere (Otoe), Nutachi (Missouria), and Baxoje (Iowas); Kiash Matchitiwuk (Menominee); Meshkwahkîha (Meskwaki); Asâkîwaki (Sauk); Myaamiaki (Miami), Waayaahtanwaki (Wea), and Peeyankihšiaki (Piankashaw); Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo); Inoka (Illini Confederacy); Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Odawak (Odawa), and Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi). Seated atop a continental divide, the Chicago region is located at the intersection of several great waterways, leading the area to become the site of travel and healing for many Tribes.

Chicago’s first permanent non-indigenous resident was a trader named Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a free Black man from Haiti whose father was a French sailor and whose mother as an African slave. He came here in the 1770s via the Mississippi River from New Orleans with his Native American wife, and their home stood at the mouth of the Chicago River. In 1803, the U.S. government built Fort Dearborn at what is now the corner of Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive (look for the bronze markers in the pavement). It was destroyed in 1812 following the Battle of Fort Dearborn, rebuilt in 1816, and permanently demolished in 1857.

The modern city was incorporated in 1837 by Northern businessmen and grew rapidly from real estate speculation and the realization that it had a commanding position in the emerging inland transportation network, based on lake traffic and railroads, controlling access from the Great Lakes into the Mississippi River basin.

Despite the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that destroyed the Central Business District, the city grew exponentially becoming the nation's rail center and the dominant Midwestern center for manufacturing, commerce, finance, higher education, religion, broadcasting, sports, jazz, and high culture. The city was also a magnet for European immigrants—at first Germans, Irish and Scandinavians, then from the 1890s to 1914, Jews, Czechs, Poles and Italians.

Large numbers of African Americans migrated from the South starting in the World War I era as part of the Great Migration. Mexicans started arriving after 1910, and Puerto Ricans after 1945. The Cook County suburbs grew rapidly after 1945. Deindustrialization after 1970 closed the Union Stock Yards and most of the steel mills and factories, but the city retained its role as a financial and transportation hub. Increasingly it emphasized its service roles in medicine, higher education, and tourism.

Scope and Contents

The Chicago City-Wide Collection consists of a wide assortment of manuscript, printed and photographic materials on multiple topics. It includes biographical, business, cultural, educational, municipal, recreation, religious, social and transportation source materials. The collection is designed to gather together materials that relate to the city as a whole and to include materials from Chicago communities that fall outside of the Library’s existing neighborhood collection strengths. In addition, the collection covers the Loop and Downtown areas and contains a wide range of guide and souvenir viewbooks geared toward tourism; sketches and images from historical events, especially the Chicago Fire of 1871; a series of Chicago maps dating back to 1835; and several significant maps of Chicago parks, including several 19th century mapsfor West and South Park Commissions and 134 of 171 maps created as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the 1930s.

The organization of the collection is by topic. All material has been sorted into one of 20 series descriptions. Each of these subject designations was meant to encompass a variety of examples. As such, there will be some items that may be less clearly related to the topic area than others and items that could reasonably be filed under more than one subject area. For example, a 1923 map of the Chicago underworld is filed under “Clubs and Organizations” (Oversize Folder 7) since the gangs that comprised the underworld in question were a type of organization. Sports teams, however, have been filed as businesses. Each series contains a more specific Scope and Contents Note to guide that subject’s materials and organization. Researchers working at the intersection of themes are encouraged to search this guide broadly.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Chicago City-Wide Collection consists of an initial accession and several supplemental accessions:

Initial Collection

The initial collection spans Boxes 1-49; Oversize Folders 1-95; and Photographs and Graphic Materials with the prefixes “1” through “6”.

The materials came from a wide range of sources: transfers from other Chicago Public Library branches, libraries across the nation, purchases, and private donations. Where appropriate, the provenance of individual items has been noted on folders. The T.E. Givens Collection (Box 9, Folder 24 through Box 10, Folder 31) was transferred to Special Collections from the Sulzer Regional Library in February 1989.

Photographs with the prefix “1” come from a variety of sources but are primarily from the West Side Historical Society.

Photographs with the prefix “2” are portraits taken from an incomplete copy of Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men of Chicago, Written by the Best Talent of the Northwest. Photographically Illustrated by John Carbutt, Chicago: Wilson and St. Clair, 1868.

Photographs with the prefix “4” are 11x14 inch negatives of engravings found in the 1866 Chicago Illustrated published by Jevne and Almini. A bound volume and parts edition of this title is also available (call number NA735.C4J4).

Photographs with the prefix “5” are stereographs, the bulk of which depict the Chicago Fire of 1871.

Graphic materials with the prefix “6” are postcards.

Supplement 1

Supplement 1 is comprised of Boxes 42, 50-54, Oversize Folders 96-111 and Photographs and Graphic Materials with the prefixes “7” through “9”. The items come from a wide range of sources: transfers from other Chicago Public Library branches, libraries across the nation, purchases and private donations.

The materials in this supplement were added to the following Series: Biographical Data, Business Establishments, Religious Institutions, Clubs and Organizations, Historical Events and Sketches, Miscellaneous, Municipal Agencies, Parks, Schools, Streets, Transportation and Viewbooks. Supplement 1 includes the 19th-century imprints and manuscripts that James Francus purchased from the Dicke Estate and gifted to the Library.

Photographs with the prefix “7” and “8” were originally gathered as part of the Lincoln Park Photo Documentation Project in the late 1970s.

Photographs with the prefix “9” are of miscellaneous subject designations. The Saskatoon Public Library donated Photograph 9.3. James Francus donated Photographs 9.4-9.9 that were acquired from the Dicke Estate.

Supplement 2

Supplement 2 is comprised of Boxes 55-66, Oversize Folder 112 and Photographs with the prefixes “10” through “14”. The items come from a wide range of sources: transfers from other Chicago Public Library branches, libraries across the nation, purchases and private donations.

The largest document addition was to Series 2: Business Establishments. Other notable additions include the Board of Education lawsuits donated to Chicago Public Library by John Nuveen & Co. (Box 60, Folders 9-38), the World War II scrapbooks (Boxes 64-66) and a series of 134 maps of Chicago parks, produced by a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in the 1930s (Oversize Folder 112). The WPA Maps were given to the Mayor’s office during the term of Harold Washington and transferred from the papers of Harold Washington in 1991.

Photographs with the prefix “10” are stereographs of the ruins of Chicago after the 1871 Fire.

Photographs with the prefix “11” are color postcards. Photographs 11.3-11.17 are from historical paintings by Lawrence C. Earle, in the Banking Room of the Central Trust Co. building at 152 Monroe Street. These cards were the gift of Ralph G. Newman in 1996.

Photographs with the prefix “12” are portraits removed from a disbound, partial copy of Biographical Sketches of Leading Men published in the late 1870s. The text is located in Box 55, Folder 11a.

Photographs with the prefix “13” were transferred from the Body Politic Theater Collection. It is presumed that these views were taken in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in the late 1970s.

Photographs with the prefix “14” are from a variety of sources.

Supplement 3

Supplement 3 is comprised of Boxes 67-86, Oversize Folders 113-116 and Photographs with the prefixes “15” through “20”. The items come from a wide range of sources: transfers from other Chicago Public Library branches, libraries across the nation, purchases and private donations.

Materials in this supplement came from four principle sources. The first and largest was a transfer of materials from the Chicago’s Municipal Reference Library in 1991. The transfer contained business, private mass transit and municipal pamphlets from the 1910s-1930s.

The second source of materials was taken from a dismantled scrapbook created as a student project in 1962 by Joan Abell of the Chicago Lawn neighborhood. The theme of this scrapbook was “contemporary Chicago,” and it included an array of pamphlets, brochures, photographs, postcards and advertisements from businesses in the Loop and some outlying neighborhoods. Many of the items in the Chicago City-Wide Collection dated “circa 1962” are from this scrapbook. Postcards 18.1-18.28 are also from this scrapbook.

The third group of documents was deaccessioned from the Baker Library of Harvard University in 1985. These comprise a collection of publications on the formation of the Chicago Transit Authority and the attempt to construct subway railroads in Chicago (Boxes 80-81).

Finally, the fourth group of materials was purchased from dealers between 1990 and 1991. Of note in the series Schools is an oversize volume of drawings from the Chicago Public Schools earning Highest Recognition at the Paris Exposition of 1900. This volume is located in Box 86 and is described as Subseries C in the Schools series through a full inventory of artists and subjects.

The Photographs in Supplement 3 are primarily plates derived from disbound publications.

Photographs with the prefix “15” are from Rand, McNally & Co.’s Pictorial Chicago and Illustrated World’s Columbian Exposition Containing Views of Principal Buildings, Residences, Streets, Parks, Monuments, etc. (Chicago: Rand, McNally and Co., 1893). The book was transferred from the Portage-Cragin Branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Photographs with the prefix “16” are from a disbound volume, Chicago: Souvenir Album of Chicago and the Columbian Exposition (S. L. Stein, 1893). Photographs 16.66-16.75 are lithographs derived from watercolor sketches of the World’s Columbian Exposition grounds by C. Graham.

Photographs with the prefix “17” are plates which originally appeared in Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men of Chicago, Photographically Illustrated by J. Carbutt (Chicago: Wilson and St. Clair, 1868) [See also call no. F548.25.B56 1868]

Photographs with the prefix “18” are postcards from the Joan Abell Scrapbook.

Photographs with the prefix “19” are from miscellaneous sources.

Photographs with the prefix “20” are a set of 50 stereographs entitled “A Trip Through Sears, Roebuck & Co.”

Supplement 4

Supplement 4 is comprised of Boxes 87-101 and Oversize Folders 117-129. The items come from a wide range of sources: transfers from other Chicago Public Library branches, libraries across the nation, purchases, and private donations.

Supplement 5

Supplement 5 is comprised of Boxes 102-116 and 143; Oversize Folders 130-148; and 637 photographs. Photograph and Graphic Materials with the prefix “21”. The items come from a wide range of sources: transfers from other Chicago Public Library branches, libraries across the nation, purchases and private donations.

The supplement is made up of numerous small donations that were added topically to Series 1-19.

Photographs 21.21-21.65 were transferred from the City Hall office of David Daskal in 2006.

Arrangement

The Chicago City-Wide Collection is organized into 20 Series based on topic:

• Series 1: Biographical Data, 1807-2018, undated
• Series 2: Business Establishments, 1837-2021, undated
• Series 3: Cemeteries, 1871-1959, 1971, undated
• Series 4: Religious Institutions, 1841-2015, undated
• Series 5: Clubs and Organizations, 1854-2020, undated
• Series 6: Historical Events and Sketches, 1821-2012, undated
• Series 7: Health and Hospitals, 1869-1999
• Series 8: Land Deeds, 1874-1945, undated
• Series 9: Libraries, 1893-1958
• Series 10: Miscellaneous, 1871-2019, undated
• Series 11: Municipal Agencies, 1840-2019, undated
• Series 12: Museums and Cultural Venues, 1863-2020, undated
• Series 13: Parks, 1862-2019, undated
• Series 14: Residences, 1866-2019, undated
• Series 15: Schools, 1866-2019, undated
• Series 16: Street Scenes, circa 1835-2011, undated
• Series 17: Transportation, 1839-2017, undated
• Series 18: Viewbooks, 1871-circa 1977
• Series 19: War Time Activities, 1866-1990, undated
• Series 20: World’s Fairs and Expositions, 1893

Related Collections

• Chicago Collection of Ceclia Cooper
• Chicago Collection of Kenan and Carol Heise
• Chicago Loop Alliance Collection
• Chicago Postcard Collection
• George H. Kinnamon Poster Collection
• Knowles Postcard Collection
• Frank W. Smith Glass Plate Slide Collection
• World War I Collection
• World War II Collection

Controlled Vocabulary

• Associations, institutions, etc -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Business enterprises -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Chicago (Ill.). Department of Urban Renewal
• Cities and towns--Pictorial works
• Communities -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History -- Sources.
• Chicago (Ill.) – History-- Sources
• Great Fire, Chicago, Ill., 1871
• Local transit -- Illinois – Chicago --- History
• Municipal government publications
• Parks -- Illinois – Chicago --- History
• Portraits -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Religious institutions -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Schools -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Societies and clubs -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Transportation -- Illinois -- Chicago -- History
• Works Progress Administration

Collection Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Data, 1807-2018, undated

Scope and Contents

The Biographical Data Series contains a wide variety of documents including memorials, news clippings, obituaries, photographs, scrapbooks and other materials that provide historical information on a wide range of Chicagoans. This series also includes ten folders of handwritten memorial resolutions presented to the family of Mayor Carter Henry Harrison following his assassination in 1893. Chicago Public Library acquired the resolutions in 1905.

Arrangement

Series 1 is organized into 2 subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1807-2018, undated and Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, circa 1840-2008, undated.

Series 1: Biographical Data, 1807-2018, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1807-2018, undated

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by last name.

Series 1: Biographical Data, 1807-2018, undated

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, circa 1840-2008, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains a variety of images of Chicagoans in formats that include cartes d’visite, negatives, photographs, and photographic plates from publications.

Photographs with the prefix “2” and “17” are plates taken from an incomplete copy of Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men of Chicago, Written by the Best Talent of the Northwest. Photographically Illustrated by John Carbutt, Chicago: Wilson and St. Clair, 1868.

Photographs with the prefix “12” are portraits removed from a disbound, partial copy of Biographical Sketches of Leading Men published in the late 1870s. The text is located in Box 55, Folder 11a.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by last name.

Series 2: Business Establishments, 1837-2021, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 2 contains a variety of resources on Chicago business enterprises, business organizations and buildings where commercial activities occur. The documentation includes advertisements, booklets, brochures, catalogs, directories, histories, invoices, news clippings, photographs, programs and other printed promotional material. Taken together, these materials offer snapshots of Chicago’s wide-ranging economic activities that span entertainment, finance, hospitality, manufacturing, printing, retail, and sports.

Arrangement

Series 2 is divided into three subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1837-2021, undated; Subseries B: Documents, T.E. Givens Collection, 1881-1883; and Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1984, undated.

Series 2: Business Establishments, 1837-2021, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1837-2021, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 2 contains a variety of resources on Chicago business enterprises, business organizations and buildings where commercial activities occur. Items of note include the First Annual Statement of the Trade and Commerce of Chicago issued by the Board of Trade; brochures and pamphlets created by the Chicago Association of Commerce and the Chicago Better Business Bureau; promotional materials for the Marshall Field, Montgomery Ward and Sears, Roebuck department stores; and articles and booklets on the Union Stockyards. Brochures and other documentation about notable Chicago buildings such as the John Hancock Center and the Merchandise Mart can also be found in this series. Programs and other items for professional sports organizations are also located in this series.

Box 71, Folders 15-47 are invoices from Chicago businesses that were sent to the Iron Cliffs Co. of Negaunee, Michigan. These documents represent a cross-section of retailers in the decades immediately following the Chicago Fire of 1871. The invoices are often on printed letterhead with logos and occasionally building illustrations.

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by business name, business event or individual businessperson’s last name. When a business name begins with a first name or initials, the alphabetization begins with these. The business invoices sent to the Iron Cliffs Co. are alphabetized within the group of files that begin with the phrase, Iron Cliffs, Co. invoices.

Series 2: Business, 1837-2021, undated

Subseries B: Documents, T.E. Givens Collection, 1881-1883

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains 90 items in 70 folders (Box 9, Folder 24 through Box 10, Folder 31). The materials include correspondence, invoices and receipts from the retail house of Foltz and Givens (Abingdon, Illinois) and correspondence and collection notices sent by the Union National Bank of Abingdon. T.E. Givens, who was a cashier with the Union National Bank, collected the documents in this subseries. The printed letterheads and checks show addresses and logos for several Chicago businesses and banks.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by business name.

Series 2: Business, 1837-2021, undated

Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1984, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries C contains images of businesses and buildings. The formats include negatives, photographs, photographic plates from publications, postcards and stereographs. Several images were taken from Pictorial Chicago and Illustrated World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893. The negatives are of prints in the 1866 Chicago Illustrated, NA735.C4J4.

Photographs with the prefix “20” are a set of stereographs entitled “A Trip Through Sears, Roebuck & Co.” This series was published in 1904 and distributed until 1930. Each view is accompanied by descriptive text on its reverse and depict such behind the scenes views as the boiler room, cafeteria, typesetting room and switchboard.

Arrangement

Subseries C is arranged alphabetically by business name.

Series 3: Cemeteries, 1871-1959, 1971, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 3 contains a small selection of brochures and maps for four of Chicago’s notable cemeteries.

Arrangement

Series 3 is arranged alphabetically by cemetery name following a topical file.

Series 4: Religious Institutions, 1841-2015, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 4 brings together various items from a range of religious organizations in Chicago. The materials include anniversary books, bulletins, directories, news clippings, photographs, postcards, programs and stereographs. Of special note in this series is an 1841 broadside for the Chicago Sabbath School Celebration, a program from the 28th International Eucharistic Congress held in Chicago in 1926 and numerous stereographs that provide a snapshot of the religious landscape of the city before and after the Chicago Fire of 1871.

Arrangement

Series 4 is organized into 2 subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1841-2015, undated and Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1951, undated.

Series 4: Religious Institutions, 1841-2015, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1841-2015, undated

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by the name of the religious institution or leader.

Series 4: Religious Institutions, 1841-2015, undated

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1951, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains views of religious institutions. The formats include photographs, postcards, negatives of color lithographs found in the 1866 Chicago Illustrated published by Jevne and Almini (call number NA735.C4J4), stereographs and printed images taken from disbound volumes of Pictorial Chicago and Illustrated World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by name of the religious institution.

Series 5: Clubs and Organizations, 1854-2020, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 5 contains a variety of manuscript and printed items on Chicago civic groups, clubs and societies, neighborhood organizations, private social service organizations, political parties, and professional associations. The documentation includes announcements, booklets, constitutions, directories, flyers, pamphlets, posters, photographs, programs, reports and yearbooks. Taken together, these materials offer snapshots of the collective creations and activities of Chicago’s citizens. Many of the club yearbooks were transferred to Special Collections from the Library’s Social Sciences and History Division.

Arrangement

Series 5 is organized into 3 subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1854-2020, undated; Subseries B: Lincoln Park Branch Survey of Community Services, 1973-1978; and Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1893-1964, undated.

Series 5: Clubs and Organizations, 1854-2020, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1854-2020, undated

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by group or organization name.

Series 5: Clubs and Organizations, 1854-2020, undated

Subseries B: Lincoln Park Branch Survey of Community Services, 1973-1978

Scope and Contents

The contents of Subseries B were originally collected as past of a survey of community services by the Lincoln Park Branch of Chicago Public Library in 1976-1977. The files primarily contain brochures and informational packets about organizations that are in or serve the Lincoln Park community.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by group or organization name.

Series 5: Clubs and Organizations, 1854-2020, undated

Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1893-1964, undated

Scope and Contents

The Clubs and Organizations series contains photographs related to Chicago’s social groups, dramatic clubs, and organizations. These images primarily depict social events and theatrical creations.

Photographs with the prefix “7” are rehearsal and production photographs of various productions at the Theater on the Lake, in Lincoln Park, primarily between 1960 and 1963. Productions were the work of various neighborhood park theater groups. The Lincoln Park Photo Documentation Project collected the photographs in the late 1970s. For more Theater on the Lake photographs, see the Chicago Park District Records: Photographs.

Arrangement

Subseries C is arranged alphabetically by group or organization name.

Series 6: Historical Events and Sketches, 1821-2020, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 6 contains manuscript and printed materials related to Chicago’s achievements as a city, notable events in its history and its general geographic landscape. Topics include the Eastland Disaster, Fort Dearborn, and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. However, the Chicago Fire of 1871 comprises the largest group of materials on a single event and includes numerous contemporaneous newspapers alongside personal accounts. Additional topics include the City’s anniversaries, architecture, culture, neighborhoods, and urbanization. The series contains articles, historical accounts, maps, newspapers, and publications.

Among the historical items is a set of 22 maps published as Surfical Geology Maps by Harlan J. Bretz, between 1930-1932. Because of their broad coverage, these maps were transferred from the Englewood Community Collection, (nhrc-ecc) to the Chicago City-Wide Collection.

Arrangement

Series 6 is arranged into 4 subseries: Subseries A: General Documents, 1821-2020, undated; Subseries B: Subseries B: Chicago American Headlines, 1901-1905; Subseries C: Chicago Tribune Headlines, 1933; and Subseries D: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1849-1938, undated.

Series 6: Historical Events and Sketches, 1821-2020, undated

Subseries A: General Documents, 1821-2020, undated

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by title or topic.

Series 6: Historical Events and Sketches, 1821-2012, undated

Subseries B: Chicago American headlines, 1901-1905

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains headlines from the Chicago American newspaper, 1901-1905. The items are originals and include the front page only.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged chronologically.

Series 6: Historical Events and Sketches, 1821-2012, undated

Subseries C: Chicago Tribune Headlines, 1933

Scope and Contents

Subseries C contains selected headlines from the Chicago Tribune newspaper. The items are 1933 facsimiles and include the front page only.

Arrangement

Subseries C is arranged chronologically.

Series 6: Historical Events and Sketches, 1821-2012, undated

Subseries D: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1849-1938, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries D contains a combination of photographs, postcards, stereographs, and printed images taken from disbound volumes of Chicago: Souvenir Album of Chicago and the Columbian Exposition, 1871, 1893. Of note are the stereographs that document the destruction left by the Chicago Fire of 1871 and the photographic postcards of the Eastland Disaster.

Photographs with the prefix “10” are stereographs of the ruins of Chicago after the 1871 Fire. The photographer for all stereographs except 10.6 was “Ely” of Racine, Wisconsin. Photograph 10.6 is credited to John A. Philleo.

Photographs with the prefix “11” are color postcards. The dates given for the postcards were taken from the postmarks. Photographs 11.3-11.17 are from historical paintings by Lawrence C. Earle, in the Banking Room of the Central Trust Co. building at 152 Monroe Street. The cards were the gift of Ralph G. Newman in 1996.

Arrangement

Subseries D is arranged alphabetically by event or topic and further alphabetized within events.

Series 7: Health and Hospitals, 1869-1999

Scope and Contents

Series 7 pulls together documentation of Chicago area hospitals and health resources.

Arrangement

The Health and Hospitals Series is arranged into two subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1869-1999 and Subseries B: Photographs, circa 1930s.

Series 7: Health and Hospitals, 1869-1999

Subseries A: Documents, 1869-1999

Scope and Contents

Subseries A encompasses a selection of hospitals and care facilities, healthcare training organizations and reports on health in the community. The materials include invitations, news clippings and reports. Of note are the 1869 and 1870 annual reports for the Chicago Protestant Orphan Asylum.

Arrangement

Subseries A is organized alphabetically by the name of the institution or by title.

Series 7: Health and Hospitals, 1869-1999

Subseries B: Photographs, circa 1930s

Arrangement

Subseries B consists of one photograph listed by the name of the institution.

Series 8: Land Deeds, 1874-1945, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 8 consists of title abstracts to various plots of land. A computer print-out of First Land Purchases in Cook County, 1805-1885 that was produced by the Illinois State Archives in 1982 to assist researchers is included here. This list gives the name of its first owner, residence at time of purchase, date, price, legal description, and volume/page for the original recorded deed for each portion of acreage in Cook County. The originals are located in the Illinois State Archives in Springfield, Illinois. An alphabetical index of purchasers is not available.

The land deed material is identified by the legal description of the land. It is understood that all of the deeds listed below are to land in Township 39 North, Range 13, East of the Third Principal Meridian [Humboldt Park neighborhood].

Arrangement

The Abstracts of Title in Series 8 are arranged by Township, Range, and Section Number following the reference computer printout of Cook County’s first land purchases.

Series 9: Libraries, 1893-1958

Scope and Contents

Material in this series relates to libraries in Chicago, public and private.

Arrangement

Series 9 is divided into two Subseries: Subseries A: Documents 1914-1958 and Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1893.

Subseries A: Documents, 1914-1958

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by name of library or library organization.

Series 9: Libraries, 1893-1958

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1893

Series 10: Miscellaneous, 1871-2019, undated

Arrangement

Series 10 is arranged into 2 subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1871-2019 and Subseries B: Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, circa 1900-1907, undated.

Series 10: Miscellaneous, 1871-2019, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1871-2019

Scope and Contents

Subseries A contains materials that do not fit neatly into the other subject categories for the Chicago City-Wide Collection.

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged by topic or title.

Series 10: Miscellaneous, 1871-2019, undated

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, circa 1900-1907, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains photographs and visual materials that do not fit neatly into the other subject categories for the Chicago City-Wide Collection.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged by topic or title.

Series 11: Municipal Agencies, 1840-2019, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 11 contains documents and visual materials related to Chicago’s city agencies and its official city operations along with U.S. and Cook County government agencies and public utilities (including commericial operations). The documentation covers a range of urban administation including such areas as cultural affairs, emergency management, health, housing, public works, recreation, sanitation and water management. The available materials were created by City departments as well as by outside organizations and individuals who studied or collaborated on the public policy and services.

The materials available in the Municipal series reflect the nature of small transfers and donations of selected materials and represent only a portion of the total publications created by substantial government agencies and other civic organizations. Additional resources and publication years might be found in the Municipal Reference and Government Publications division of Chicago Public Library or in repositories that hold collections for the various independent commissions and groups that analyze public issues. Additionally, the names of various City departments have changed over the years. The agency name listed here is the one that appears on the document. Hence, researchers looking at the Department of Water Management may also want to consult alternative historical names or agencies with related functions such as Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and Water Works. The materials for some municipal agencies such as the Chicago Park District, Chicago Board of Education, and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) material are located with like subject matter in Series 13: Parks, Series 15: Schools and Series 17: Transportation, respectively.

Arrangement

Series 11 is organized into 2 subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1840-2019, undated and Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1865-1985, undated.

Series 11: Municipal Agencies, 1840-2019, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1865-2019, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries A contains a wide variety of manuscripts and publications related to government and municipal agencies along with public utilities. The documention includes booklets, brochures, flyers, guides, histories, maps, newsletters, ordinances, pamphlets, programs and reports.

Of note are a series of items created by the Chicago Plan Commission, a group that emerged to implement the vision put forth in Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago (See Call Number NA9127.C4C7 1909), and a small selection of documents related to the 1945 Chicago Conference on Home Front Unity that was convened to examine interracial relations. The State of Illinois also produced a similar report (Box 144, Folder 16).

Subseries A also contains the typescript versions of the “Chicago at a Glance,” article series written for the Chicago Tribune in 1900 (Box 74, Folders 24-37). These documents were transferred from the History and Travel Division of the Chicago Public Library, where they were stored in one binder.

Oversize material consists primarily of wards and precinct maps created by the Board of Election Commissioners, permits issued with blueprints by the Department of Public Works and land use and redevelopment maps issued by various agencies.

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by the name of the agency or, in the case of articles about some aspect of government, by author or title. Tax bills and tax receipts have been grouped together here under the heading “Taxes.”

Series 11: Municipal Agencies, 1840-2019, undated

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1865-1985, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains a combination of negatives, photographs, postcards, stereographs, and printed images taken from disbound volumes of Chicago: Souvenir Album of Chicago and the Columbian Exposition, 1871, 1893. The negatives are of prints in the 1866 Chicago Illustrated, NA735.C4J4.

Of note are the 1984 Department of Health event photographs that include Mayor Harold Washington and Gwendolyn Brooks (1.124-1.142), the 1909 cornerstone laying for the fourth City Hall building (1.122a-b), and Sanitary District Drainage Canal construction and other views.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by the name of the agency or organization.

Series 12: Museums and Cultural Institutions, 1863-2020, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 12 brings together selected documents and images on Chicago’s museums and cultural institutions. The materials consist of brochures, catalogs, flyers, guides, pamphlets, and posters. An important item in this small series is the invitation to the 1894 opening of the Field Museum of Natural History.

Arrangement

Series 12 is organized into two subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1863-2020, undated and Subseries B: Photographs, circa 1946-circa 1970s.

Series 12: Museums and Cultural Institutions, 1863-2020, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1863-2020, undated

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by museum or cultural institution name.

Series 12: Museums and Cultural Institutions, 1863-2020, undated

Subseries B: Photographs, circa 1946-circa 1970s

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by museum or cultural institution name.

Series 13: Parks, 1862-2019, undated

Series 13 brings together documents and images created by and about parks and recreational spaces in Chicago. The most important items in this series are a collection of 19th century Annual Reports of the South Park and West Chicago Park commissions, tracing some of the earliest developments of the Chicago park system. Also of importance are 1871-1872 oversize maps of Central (now Garfield), Douglas and Humboldt Parks, the first three West Side parks and the 134 maps (of 171 total) created of Chicago parks as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Project 3239.

Arrangement

Series 13: Parks is arranged into 3 subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1862-2019, undated; Subseries B: Works Progress Administration maps, circa 1930s; and Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1886-circa 1970s, undated.

Series 13: Parks, 1862-2019, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1862-2019, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries A contains a variety of resources on created by or about the Chicago Park District and other similar recreational spaces. The documents include articles, booklets, flyers, guides, maps, programs and reports.

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by the name of park, commission or facility.

Series 13: Parks, 1862-2019, undated

Subseries B: Works Progress Administration, circa 1930s

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains 134 of the 171 total maps of Chicago parks created as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Project 3239 in the 1930s. Each map delineates the legal history of the park shown. Original Map numbers have been maintained.

Arrangement

The maps in Subseries B retain the original map numbers that were assigned alphabetically by park name. The missing Map numbers correspond to works that were not included with the transfer of these works.

Series 13: Parks, 1862-2019, undated

Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1886-circa 1970s, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries C contains a combination of negatives, photographs, postcards, stereographs, and printed images taken from disbound volumes of Chicago: Souvenir Album of Chicago and the Columbian Exposition, 1871, 1893 and Photographic Views: West Chicago Parks, 1886.

Arrangement

Subseries C is alphabetical by park name or park feature.

Series 14: Residences, 1866-2019, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 14 contains resources related to historical residences of wealthy and successful Chicagoans along with selected materials on other Chicago housing options. Significant materials in this series include a brochure on the Mies van der Rohe-designed 860-880 N. Lake Shore Drive buildings, as well as printed promotional material on other important Chicago residences and a few general articles on housing.

Arrangement

Series 14 is organized into two subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1916-2019, undated and Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-circa 1960, undated.

Series 14: Residences, 1866-2019, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1916-2019, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries A contains advertisements, articles, brochures, landmark submissions and listing booklets for selected Chicago homes and housing arrangements.

Arrangement

The residences are arranged alphabetically by street name, property name or realtor name. The articles about housing are interfiled alphabetically by title.

Series 14: Residences, 1866-2019, undated

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-circa 1960, undated

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the photographs in Subseries B depict the residences of some significant Chicago families. Several images are from Pictorial Chicago and Illustrated World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893.

Photographs with the prefix “8” show the renovation of a basement apartment at 906 W. Wrightwood, Lincoln Park, July 1946-June 1947. This was the home of Joseph C. and Lydia Schmidt. The photographs were taken by professional photographer Martin J. Schmidt, brother of Joseph Schmidt, and donated to the Lincoln Park Photo Documentation Project in the 1970s.

Arrangement

The residences are arranged alphabetically by street name and by the home’s name only when an address is not known.

Series 15: Schools, 1866-2019, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 15 contains covers a range of educational institutions from elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities and private organizations that offer instruction to the organizations and persons that develop curriculum, plan and operate institutions; and the Paris Exposition of 1900 exhibition of Chiago Public School student artwork. The institutions include the Board of Examiners, Chicago Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools. The materials include catalogs, fact sheets, lawsuits memos and opinions, pamphlets, photographs, qualifying exams and reports.

Arrangement

Series 15 is organized into 4 subseries: Subseries A: General Documents, 1869-2004, undated; Subseries B: Individual Schools by Name, 1866-2019, undated; Subseries C: Chicago Public High School Drawings at Paris Exposition, 1900; and Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1883-1950s, undated.

Series 15: Schools, 1866-2019, undated

Subseries A: General Documents, 1869-2004, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries A includes materials related to education as a practice. The subseries includes individual and generalized studies as well as selections related to such organizations as the Board of Examiners who administered “Qualifying Exams” to prospective teachers, the Board of Education, Chicago Public Schools and a series of fact sheets for nearly 200 schools on the West Side collected by the West Side Historical Society in the 1940s. Also of note are the groups of lawsuits brought against the Board of Education by taxpayers over the issue of 1929 tax anticipation warrants, given to the Chicago Public Library by John Nuveen & Co. (Box 60, Folders 9-38). Documentation includes articles, booklets, fact sheets, lawsuit materials, newsletters, qualifying exams, and reports.

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by the name of an organization or subject. Articles not created by an organization are listed alphabetically by title.

Series 15: Schools, 1866-2019, undated

Subseries B: Individual Schools by Name, 1866-2019, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains a wide range of resources on individual schools and other organizations that offer classes and learning opportunities in Chicago. Documentation includes brochures, catalogs, flyers, handbooks, newsletters, programs, and yearbooks. Some of the individual schools are part of the Chicago Public School system

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by school or organization name.

Series 15: Schools, 1866-2019, undated

Subseries C: Chicago Public High School Drawings at Paris Exposition, 1900

Scope and Contents

Subseries C is comprised of drawings created by Chicago Public Schools students that were exhibited at the Paris Exposition of 1900 and earned the Highest Recognition as well as additional awards for the 1901 Buffalo Exposition and 1902 Charleston Exposition. Artist names are listed when known and subject of the paintings noted.

Arrangement

Subseries C retains the numerical listing associated with the exhibit. A few entries lack numbers, as indicated by the “?” and have been retained in place.

Series 15: Schools, 1866-2019, undated

Subseries D: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1883-1950s, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries D contains views of educational institutions along with students and faculty. The formats include photographs, postcards, negatives of color lithographs found in the 1866 Chicago Illustrated published by Jevne and Almini (call number NA735.C4J4) and printed images taken from disbound volumes of Pictorial Chicago and Illustrated World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893.

Arrangement

Subseries D is arranged alphabetically by the name of the school.

Series 16: Streets, circa 1835-2011, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 16 contains resources about the organization, naming, and use of the Chicago’s streets. The series is comprised of articles, guides, maps, news clippings, pamphlets, photographs, and planning documents. The bulk of the material on streets consists of Chicago street maps and guides from the 1850s to the 1950s. Most of these are located in oversize folders.

Arrangement

Series 16 is organized into three subseries: Subseries A: General Documents and Maps, circa 1835-2011, undated; Subseries B: Individual Streets by Name, 1913-1963; and Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1850s-1996, undated

Series 16: Streets, circa 1835-2011, undated

Subseries A: General Documents and Maps, circa 1833-2011, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries A contains articles, guides, maps, news clippings and plans related to Chicago streets. The files on Chicago’s street names (Box 79, Folders 11-28) were transferred from the History and Travel Division of Chicago Public Library, where they were stored in one binder. These files are grouped together as “CPL reference file”.

Arrangement

The maps and guides are arranged alphabetically by title. The other documents are interfiled alphabetically by title or agency. Items within the “CPL reference file” are listed in chronological order.

Series 16: Streets, circa 1835-2011, undated

Subseries B: Individual Streets by Name, 1913-1963

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains articles, brochures, maps, news clippings, plans, and studies about notable Chicago thoroughfares.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by street name.

Series 16: Streets, circa 1835-2011, undated

Subseries C: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1850s-1996, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries C contains views of specific Chicago streets as well as broad street views from various perspectives. The formats include negatives, photographs, postcards, prints made of paintings by Jack Simmerling, stereographs, and printed images taken from disbound volumes of Chicago: Souvenir Album of Chicago and the Columbian Exposition, 1893. Photographs with the prefix “4” are 11x14 inch negatives of engravings found in the 1866 Chicago Illustrated published by Jevne and Almini. A bound volume and parts edition of this title is also available (call number NA735.C4J4).

Arrangement

Subseries C is arranged alphabetically by street name or view type.

Series 17: Transportation, 1839-2017, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 17 contains a variety of sources including annual reports, articles, booklets, brochures, broadsides, guides, histories, maps, newsletters, pamphlets and photogaphs related to transportation within as well as to and from the city. The means and methods of transport include air, bicycle, freight tunnel, mass transit, motorcar, railroad and water.

Arrangement

Series 17 is arranged into two subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1839-2017, undated and Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1994, undated.

Series 17: Transportation, 1839-2017, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1839-2017, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries A contains documentation on Chicago’s transportation by air, bicycle, freight tunnel, mass transit, motorcar, railroad and water. The bulk of the contents relate to mass transit and railroads. Of note are a series of publications concerning the problems surrounding the formation of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the attempt to construct subway railroads in Chicago. These materials were deaccessioned from the Baker Library of Harvard University in 1985 and have been gathered together with the term, “Mass Transit consolidation” in Boxes 80-81.

The subseries also contains volumes 7-23 of the Chicago Surface Lines’ Surface Service Magazine, an 1855 brochure for the Illinois Central Railroad, annual reports for Chicago and Alton Railroad from 1864-1899, and several files on the problem of the South Side railway terminal. The latter material was transferred from the Municipal Reference Collection of Chicago Public Library

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by method of transport (Air, Bicycle, Bridge, Freight Tunnel, Mass Transit, Motor, Railroad or Water) and then alphabetically within by agency or title of the document.

Series 17: Transportation, 1839-2017, undated

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1994, undated

Scope and Contents

Subseries B contains photographs and graphic representations related to transportation within as well as to and from the city. The means and methods of transport include air, bicycle, freight tunnel, mass transit, motorcar, railroad and water. The bulk of the images relate to mass transit and railroads.

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by method of transport (Air, Bicycle, Bridge, Freight Tunnel, Mass Transit, Motor, Railroad or Water) and then alphabetically within by agency or title of the document.

Series 18: Viewbooks, 1871-circa 1977

Scope and Contents

Series 18 contains souvenir viewbooks and visual guidebooks to Chicago spanning 1871 to 1977. Most of the books were designed to highlight significant buildings or locations in the city that visitor’s would find appealing for a visit. A small number of viewbooks highlight Chicagoans who were considered notable at the time of publication. These booklets contain figures such as mayors, religious leaders and successful businessmen.

Please ask staff for a separate index of viewbook contents.

Arrangement

Viewbooks are arranged chronologically by title or general content description.

Series 19: Wartime Activities, 1866-1990, undated

Scope and Contents

Series 19 contains materials about Chicago in wartime and Chicagoans who went to fight in various conflicts that include the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, World War I, and World War II. The twelve scrapbooks in Boxes 43 and 44 detail Chicago news coverage of the last months of World War II. This series of wartime scrapbooks was transferred from the Logan Square Branch Library. Other materials include booklets, newsletters, photographs, promotional materials and ration books.

Arrangement

Series 19 is organized into 2 subseries: Subseries A: Documents, 1898-1990 and Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1945, undated.

Series 19: Wartime Activities, 1866-1990, undated

Subseries A: Documents, 1898-1990

Arrangement

Subseries A is arranged alphabetically by conflict.

Series 19: Wartime Activities, 1866-1990, undated

Subseries B: Photographs and Graphic Materials, 1866-1945, undated

Arrangement

Subseries B is arranged alphabetically by topic.

Series 20: World’s Columbian Exposition, 1893

Scope and Content,

Series 20 is comprised of one souvenir and 10 lithographic prints that were derived from watercolor sketches of the World’s Columbian Exposition grounds by C. Graham. The images were presumably prepared from building designs to be used for publicity while the fairgrounds were being constructed.

Arrangement

The prints are arranged alphabetically by World’s Columbian Exposition scene.