In the latter part of the nineteenth century, Welsh settlers who made their way to the shores of Lake Michigan in America's heartland became key contributors to the growth and development of what was to become the country's second largest city: Chicago. From 1883 on - when there was little more than an Indian trading center on that spot and a population of only 350 - Chicago grew more rapidly than any other urban center on the planet. By 1893, a mere sixty years later, it had evolved into a vibrant, modern metropolis with over one million citizens.A strong and identifiable Welsh community developed within the city as a number of Welsh churches, active benevolent and cultural Welsh societies, and a plethora of Welsh events brought citizens of Wales together in unity and fellowship. Their crowning achievement was the grand spectacle of the largest Eisteddfod (traditional cultural and music festival) to be held outside Wales during the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. The Cambrian Benevolent Society of Chicago alone - founded by and for Welsh citizens of the city in 1853 - boasted a membership of 2,000 at that time.The contributions of the Welsh to the city's growth have been largely overlooked, due maybe to their comparatively small numbers. But they were undoubtedly here, weaving unquestionably vital threads within the fabric of the young city. A selection of stories of their life journeys from the old country to the heart of a new America are revealed within the pages of The Welsh Who Built Chicago

The Welsh Who Built Chicago

Dilys W. Rana

Chicago History Museum

An ancient crossroads of travel and trade, Chicago played a key role in the making of modern America. Chicago: Crossroads of America, focuses on that crossroads nature of Chicago and its national influence using the archives and artifacts from the collection of the Chicago History Museum. Chicago: Crossroads of America, the companion to the exhibition of the same name, easily stands alone as an informative, provocative, and engaging view of the history of Chicago. Author and exhibition curator, Olivia Mahoney, walks us through Chicago history with chapters named City on the Make - an examination of Chicago as a crossroads of economic and cultural exchange from prehistoric time to the present; City in Crisis which shows how conflicting social, economic and political forces converging at the crossroads can explode in violent disorder, disrupting and changing the city; Sweet Home Chicago an overview of how Chicago s communities unite and divide along the lines of race, ethnicity and class; , Second to None a presentation of Chicago s many innovations and their far-reaching impact; and My Kind of Town a discussion of Chicago as a cultural crossroads where generations of people have gathered to play and celebrate. Mahoney brings the city s history to life with a robust selection of vibrant and provocative stories that illustrate Chicago s crossroads nature and its national and international influence.

Chicago: Crossroads of America

Olivia Mahoney

Chic Chicago: Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum features the most stunning pieces from one of the greatest costume collections in the world. From its earliest days, Chicago was viewed as a grimy upstart consumed by business and the almighty dollar. Nicknames such as hog butcher to the world, gangland, and second city persist even today. In response to this perception, a small number of wealthy women purchased and wore high fashion in the hope of claiming Chicago as chic; fashion, they believed, was a powerful way to overcome this prejudice and to re-imagine Chicago as a place of beauty, sophistication, and elegance. The Chicago History Museum, one of the city s earliest cultural institutions, now houses many of these chic creations from designers such as Worth, Poiret, Dior, Halston, Miyake, and Versace. This volume showcases the designs and the designers, as well as the women who wore them and helped make Chicago chic.

Chic Chicago - Couture Treasures from the Chicago History Museum

Arts & Photography

valerie-steele

Timothy A. Long

Fashion

Among the most spectacular and significant holdings of the Costume Collection of the Chicago History Museum are items from the House of Dior. Indeed, these pieces comprise one of the most important collections of Dior fashion in America. Dior s revolutionary statements about femininity and fashion that seized America over 60 years ago helped to shape cultural and social trends in the decades that followed.

Dior - The New Look

Timothy Long

This woman of achievement conjures visions of grandeur. Bertha Honoré Palmer reigned as the queen of Chicago society, but her name and her image were known around the world. Supported by immense wealth, she championed women s achievements and her fledgling city, and ascended to international celebrity. This richly-illustrated catalogue tells her story as one of the most significant figures in Chicago history.

Bertha Honore Palmer

What happened to Ellen Gates Starr, the sprightly young woman who cofounded Hull-House with Jane Addams in 1889? Starr mastered the art of bookbinding and built a cherished circle of friends. Motivated by her faith, she became a dedicated reformer and labor activist. She lived and worked at Hull-House for forty years. Yet, despite all of this, she is a largely forgotten figure. Based on Starr's letters and writings, Suellen Hoy presents a moving portrait of a spirited, independent woman, who as she aged made the most of her unexpected and unenviable circumstances. In the end, this small yet significant work contributes to a better understanding of the history of women and the history of Chicago.

Ellen Gates Starr

Suellen Hoy

The vast costume collection of the Chicago History Museum includes a stunning array of wedding attire that reveals 170 years of fashion favored by Chicago couples. Marshall Field & Co. made wedding history by being the first store to offer a gift registry and providing an array of products and staff to cater to the bride s every need. Today, hoop skirts, sinewy fishtails, long trains, and leg-o-mutton sleeves can be seen on the aisle, but each style echoes decades past.

I Do! Chicago Ties the Knot

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Books by Chicago History Museum