Chicago History Museum

After a bit of a museum hiatus for me, I’m thrilled to be back with highlights from my recent visit to the Chicago History Museum! It was my first time visiting, and I left incredibly impressed and inspired, with a desire to return soon!

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, I’ll admit that I wasn’t too familiar with the history of the third largest city in the United States. But, that’s why I was so excited to learn more at the Chicago History Museum, and I was not disappointed in the slightest!

One of the main draws for me was the museum’s current temporary exhibit, Dressed in History, a survey of their astounding collection of garments, costumes, and other artifacts that the museum has acquired over a period of more than 100 years. Specifically, all of the clothing featured has some connection to Chicago and its history, whether it was designed here or worn here. The introductory wall text for the exhibit says that “what you’ll see represents a long and rich history with fashion, manufacturing, and retail”, and the museum’s collection runs the gamut with everything from intricate 18th Century dresses to contemporary 21st Century fashion.

Speaking of modern-day clothing, that’s where I’ll start. This Men’s Varsity Jacket was designed in 2023 to honor the late Virgil Abloh (1980-1921), a native of nearby Rockford, IL, who founded the Off-White brand in 2013 to design luxury streetwear, and was appointed the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear in 2018 before passing away from cancer at age 41. This piece reflects the importance of Chicago to Abloh, combining his passion for designing streetwear and his love of the Chicago Bulls basketball team. Sports has always been a defining cultural aspect of Chicago, and I think that it is important to highlight now the popularity of sports teams impacts fashion trends, with garments such as the varsity jacket becoming a normal choice of outerwear.

Going back a little over 100 years, this 1920 sketch by Russian-French designer Erté was one of a series designed for Ganna Walska, a Polish-born opera singer who was to perform in Tosca, a famous opera adaptation of the drama La Tosca, with the Chicago Opera Company. However, before her first performance, she fled the city, later marrying Harold F. McCormick, a member of the wealthy and famous McCormick family.

Not only did I find the bluntness with which the Chicago History Museum told the story of the design and its intended wearer funny, but also, the story itself reminds us just how international the fashion industry has always been. The industrialization and globalization of the early 1900s allowed for trends based on clothing from all over the world to take hold, and cultural phenomena such as performing arts could spread those trends.

Going ever FURTHER back in time, we have this gorgeous ‘robe à la française’, circa 1740-75. Once again, there is a fascinating story of how the museum acquired it. It was originally part of a collection purchased by the museum in 1920, and was rumored to have been worn by Queen Caroline of the United Kingdom. However, there was no evidence to back this up, so it was sold at a rummage sale in 1926, when a socialite named Bertha Baur, who you can see in the picture above, bought it and wore it many times during her life. It was then re-acquired in 2016, when her granddaughter donated the dress back to the museum.

I find the rumors and stories surrounding many of the garments in the collection to be so fascinating, because not only are we learning about the history of fashion, but the history of people as well. The intricacy of the design is just stunning, and I am always amazed at the great condition of artifacts like these that still are full of vibrant color. That is a testament to the hard work of the Chicago History Museum in protecting these valuable pieces of history!

Next, I want to highlight this silk Evening Dress, made circa 1983 by Hatian-born designer Fabrice Simon (1951-1998). This dress was donated to the museum by Johnson Publishing executive Linda Johnson Rice, who reportedly wore it to the first Black Creativity Gala at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Honestly, I like it because it’s sparkly, and the back straps are pretty cool. Also, it’s a great contrast to the robe à la française, which sits just across from it in the collection. The robe is vibrant, textural, and does more to hide the figure of the wearer, whereas the Evening Dress reflects the shift towards contouring the wearer and a more minimalistic approach.

And now, for the opposite of minimalistic, we have this whimsical hat simply called Hat, made by New Jersey-born artist Cat Chow (b. 1973). She studied costume design at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, just north of Chicago, and specializes in transforming everyday items into wearable art. This particular hat is made from red and black zipper that can be completely unzipped! I can’t imagine how long it’d take to zip back up. But, in my opinion, this is the heart of fashion. It shows how we as humans have taken so many different kinds of materials and turned them into wearable art, practical wear, and more.

Dressed in History was a wonderful treasure trove of amazing garments and artifacts, and it really shows how fashion and history are so intertwined!

If you want to see more of the museum’s collection, you can click here to visit their website!

And now, I’d like to share just a small taste of Chicago: Crossroads of America, one of the museum’s main permanent exhibits. This huge series of galleries spans Chicago’s history from the earliest Native American settlements to the modern day, and highlights all of the ways in which Chicago has been a nexus of American history.

One of those ways is through Chicago’s transportation history, and on that note there are two incredible artifacts on display. The first is the Pioneer, the first locomotive to operate in Chicago! Its inaugural run was in 1848, and though it was replaced around a decade later by bigger and more advanced locomotives, it still was popular enough that it was displayed at every major Chicago festival and fair from 1880 to 1940. These included the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the 1933–34 A Century of Progress International Exposition. It was acquired by the museum, then the Chicago Historical Society, in 1972.

Not only is it just a massive marvel, but the Pioneer has a wonderful interactive aspect as well! Stepping up to the controls, visitors can get a feel for what it was like to be John Ebbert, the first engineer of the Pioneer and one of its champions who spread the story of this symbol of Chicago to all who would hear it.

Speaking of which, also on display is an original 1893 L Car No. 1 from Chicago’s elevated rail service, today known as the ‘L’. Back then, this car was used to take passengers to and from the Chicago World’s Fair! a ticket cost five cents, and steam locomotives pulled the cars at a speed of 15 miles per hour. The interior of the car was designed for comfort and luxury, with gorgeous etched glass windows, plush seating, mahogany paneling, and large windows to provide scenic views of the city. In 1959, the Chicago Transit Authority restored L Car No. 1 to its original early 1900s appearance. In 2006, the car was moved from the CTA’s storage in Skokie, IL, to the museum, where it was lifted into the museum through an uncompleted wall of the new addition to the building! Unfortunately, visitors to the museum can’t enter the interior of the car due to prolonged wear and tear over the years, but it’s still incredible to look at from the outside!.

My mind is always blown by these kinds of experiences. Getting up close and personal to real history is just incredibly immersive and awe-inspiring. When I think of the people who operated the Pioneer or rode the L way back when, and compare what life was like then to now, I am struck by how much life has changed, but in many ways, is the same.

Overall, I had such an amazing time at the Chicago History Museum, and I know it sounds sappy, but I feel that much more closer to the place I call home. The best thing is that on my visit, I didn’t see everything the museum has to offer, so I am excited to return in the future!

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