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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!

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.

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 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.

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.

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

Image Packet

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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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.

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.

Simon Pokagon (far right) on “Chicago Day” at the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, October 9, 1893. Photograph (c) 2015 by John Low, image used with permission of the owner.

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.

Further Reading

A Brief History of the Pokagon Band

John N. Low, Imprints: The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and the City of Chicago. (Michigan State University Press, 2016).

John N. Low, “Chicago is on the Lands of the Potawatomi – Why Land Acknowledgments for Chicago Should Acknowledge This Historical Fact,” Chicago History xlvi, no. 2 (Fall/Winter 2022–23): 16–27.

Simon Pokagon, O gi-māw-kwĕ Mit-i-gwā-kî (Queen of the Woods) (1899).

Adapting historical recipes to fit contemporary ingredients and measurements can require some trial and error, since food production and ingredient characteristics change over time.

We present to you two versions of the Palmer House Brownie. One is original recipe, written for ingredients of the era. The other is the recipe provided by the Palmer House today. You may need to do a little experimenting to get the gooey, fudgy brownies you want!

Palmer House Brownies (Original)

Brownie Ingredients:

1 lb. (1 cup) butter
18 oz. (3 cups) semisweet chocolate
1 Tbsp baking powder
8 oz. (2 cups) cake flour
24 oz. (3 3/8 cups) granulated sugar
4 whole eggs
1 lb. walnuts, crushed

Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup apricot preserves
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler.
3. Mix the dry ingredients (except for walnuts) in a mixing bowl.
4. Mix the chocolate with the dry ingredients (4–5 minutes).
5. Add the eggs.
6. Pour the mixture into 9” x 12” baking pan and sprinkle walnuts on top.
7. Press the walnuts down slightly into the mixture with your hands.
8. Back for 30–40 minutes. It should test “gooey” with a toothpick in middle. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before glazing with a pastry brush.
9. For the glaze, mix together the gelatin, preserves, and water in a saucepan. Bring to boil for 2 minutes, then spread while hot.

Note: The brownies are easier to cut if you place the entire pan in the freezer for 3 to 4 hours after glazing, then remove and cut into squares with a serrated knife. In fact, freezing them after glazing is highly recommended for the recipe to work properly.

Makes 24 chocolatey treasures.

Palmer House Brownies (Today)

Brownie Ingredients:

5.25 oz. (7/8 cup) 60% dark couverture chocolate
9.75 oz. (1 cup + 3 ½ Tbsp) butter
12.75 oz. (1 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp) granulated sugar
5 eggs
3.5 oz. (3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp) (heaping) all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
8 oz. (1 cup) chopped walnuts

Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 cup apricot preserves
1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

Directions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   2. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Mix the baking powder, sugar, and flour together in a bowl. Combine chocolate and flour mixtures. Stir for 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs and continue mixing.
   3. Pour the mixture into a 9×12 baking sheet. Sprinkle walnuts on top, pressing down slightly into the mixture with your hand. Bake for approximately 35 minutes.
   4. Brownies are done when the edges begin to crisp and has risen about 1/4 of an inch.
   5. To make the glaze: Mix together water, apricot preserves, and unflavored gelatin in saucepan. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil for two minutes. Brush hot glaze on brownies while still warm.

Note: When the brownie is properly baked, it will remain “gooey” with a toothpick in the middle due to the richness of the mixture.

Recipe courtesy of the Palmer House Hilton.

Each fall, people in Latine communities around the world remember their deceased loved ones during Día de los Muertos. In this blog post, CHM curator of religion and community history Rebekah Coffman writes about how contemporary Day of the Dead celebrations mirror the hybridization and mingling of Indigenous and Catholic roots through Spanish colonization of Latin America.

Ofrenda installation at NMMA by Alejandro García Nelo, “54,950 heartbeats: A tribute to the victims of the earthquakes in Turkiye, Syria and Morocco,” 2023. Photograph by Rebekah Coffman

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is strongly associated with Mexican communities but today is celebrated throughout Latin America and globally by the Latine diaspora.

Illustrations depicting Mictēcacihuātl from Exhibition catalogue for NMMA’s (then the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum) Día de los Muertos exhibition, p. 9, CHM Collection, GT4995 A4D52 1991

It is a holiday rooted in Indigenous tradition that has evolved through the centuries. The Aztec Empire celebrated the Lady of the Dead or Queen of the Underworld, Mictēcacihuātl, as an Indigenous spiritual tradition. Mictēcacihuātl is said to protect bones of the dead so they may be returned and used in the land of the living. Spanish conquistadores observed this tradition and fused Aztec traditions with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day as a tool for colonialism and forced conversions. In Spain, Catholic celebrations of All Saints Days and All Souls Days were celebrated by decorating family graves and sharing food graveside as way of remembering and communing with deceased loved ones. Contemporary Day of the Dead celebrations mirror the hybridization and mingling of these Indigenous and Catholic roots through Spanish colonization of Latin America.

(L) Calavera de la Catrina, from the portfolio of 36 Grabados: José Guadalupe Posada, published by Arsacio Vanegas, Mexico City, c. 1910. Public Domain. (R) José Guadalupe Posada print by artist Carlos A. Cortéz Koyokuikatl, showing Posada’s La Catrina, 1981. CHM, Broadsides collection.

In the visual language of today, Mictēcacihuātl typically takes the form of La Catrina, a skeletal female figure wearing a European-style woman’s hat. This is credited to the influence of Chicago activist-artist Carlos Cortéz Koyokuikatl’s reuse of a popular image created by Mexican engraver and printmaker José Guadalupe Posada.

View of the Celebrando Comunidad mural by Liz Reyes in Little Village at 26th Street and Lawndale Avenue, October 18, 2019. CHM, STM-087170528, James Foster/Chicago Sun-Times

(L) NMMA installation: Familia Jiménez, Leo Parga, Araceli Muñoz, Mireya Bautista and Héctor Martínez, Öfrenda for Guadalupe Jiménez (1957–2022), 2023. Photograph by Rebekah Coffman. (R) Ofrenda in Dunkin Donuts in Pilsen, 2023. Photograph by Rebekah Coffman

Another of the most recognizable elements of Día de los Muertos is the ofrenda, or altar. Seen in homes, along streets, on sidewalks, in stores, and in cemeteries, ofrendas are literal offerings to the spirits of deceased loved ones. They often feature photographs as well as favorite items of those who have passed on, including foods like pan de muerto, water or other drinks, and favorite toys or activities. Ofrendas are also usually decorated with cempaxochitl/cempasúchil, or marigolds, which symbolize life’s fragility. Their bright orange color and distinct smell act as guides for bringing spirits back for the time of celebration.

(L) Person holding a sign that reads “Chicano Power,” July 19, 1971. CHM, ST-60004929-0031, Chicago Sun-Times collection. (R) Mural, July 19, 1971. CHM, ST-60004929-0145, Chicago Sun-Times collection

While Día de los Muertos had been celebrated in Mexico for centuries, its arrival to the United States coincided with Mexican immigration during the second half of the 19th century. For decades, the tradition was kept by families through religious masses and visits to family graves, but gatherings remained small and more private. This began changing through the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of the Xicano/Chicano movement. El Movimiento pushed against structural racism through centering bold expressions of Mexican and Latino identity in the public sphere. Activist efforts included political actions, student walk outs, and protests but also included arts such as visual and poster art, literature, music, and murals. Chicano activists began marking Día de los Muertos boldly in community, using it as a way to educate the broader public about Mexicanidad and carefully distinguishing it from Halloween.

Exhibition catalogue for NMMA’s (then the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum) Día de los Muertos exhibition, Cover and frontispiece, CHM Collection, GT4995 A4D52 1991

As this exhibition catalogue demonstrates, the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) has played a key role in amplifying Day of the Dead in Chicago. Since 1987, they have held an annual display of commissioned ofrendas, each year shifting focus on a different theme, but all centered in preserving this ancient tradition while bringing new relevance. Additionally, their Día de los Muertos Xicágo gathering features dozens of ofrendas made by community members as well as art activations and live music.

(L) Carlos Totolero and Helen Valdez, two of the cofounders of the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum (now NMMA), February 13, 1992. ST-19040944-0004, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM. (R) Students visiting the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum (now NMMA), February 13, 1992. ST-19040944-0006, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM.

NMMA was founded in 1982 by a group of six educators. Originally called the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, they wanted to create an organization that centered Chicago’s Mexican community through accessible, social-justice oriented educational and cultural programming. They first opened to the public in 1987 in Chicago’s West Side Pilsen neighborhood, repurposing the Harrison Park boat house. In 2001, they expanded into a 48,000 square foot facility and officially changed their name in 2006 to NMMA to better reflect their expanded mission. Recognizing Mexican identity is sin fronteras, or without borders, the NMMA continues today, welcoming over 150,000 guests annually.

Additional Resources

• Read an interview with Carlos Tortolero in Chicago History magazine, Spring 2020
• NMMA Google Arts & Culture digital exhibition on Día de los Muertos
• José Gaudalupe Posada Aguilar: commemorating the 75th anniversary of his death
• Encyclopedia of Chicago article on Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
• Encyclopedia of Chicago article on Pilsen
• Encyclopedia of Chicago article on Mexicans

Ghost Trackers Newsletter cover, vol. 10, no. 1, February 1991  

Very few Chicago History Museum (CHM) staff members haven’t encountered a variation of the question, “Is the Museum haunted?” While we can’t confirm or deny any allegations, we can instead focus on the importance of folklore in CHM’s mission.

As an international city, Chicago residents bring with them their beliefs and superstitions. Similarly, their memories sometimes become a part of the city’s cultural fabric through stories that serve as cautionary tales, urban legends, and timeless ghost stories. For some, the question of what lies beyond the mortal plane transcends sheer curiosity, becoming a lifelong interest involving experimental research, debate, and community. Institutions like CHM sometimes collect the records produced by these efforts because they provide unique historical perspectives on memory, belief systems, and local traditions.

In 1982, Chicago-area author and paranormal researcher Dale Kaczmarek began publishing the Ghost Trackers Newsletter (GTN) as the official publication of the Ghost Research Society (GRS), an organization interested in investigating all aspects of the supernatural. The newsletter was available to members of the GRS and the general public for a nominal fee, and it came with membership perks like invitations to events and a network of other individuals with shared interests.

GTN, Volume 4, No. 4, October 1985. This newsletter issue told the famous story of the supposed hauntings at Hull-House, the settlement home operated by Jane Addams on Chicago’s West Side. Today, after waves of urban renewal, Hull-House is now a museum operated by the University of Illinois Chicago.

The Ghost Trackers Newsletter had a homemade feel akin to a modern-day zine, where readers could expect consistent offerings. Most issues open with an editor’s page and an update on GRS activities. The lengthiest piece of writing in the publication was usually an article devoted to an individual location or haunting. While in its early days, the publication focused primarily on Chicago-area hauntings, as its audience grew, it wasn’t uncommon to find features devoted to paranormal hauntings and investigations in other Midwestern states like Michigan and distant locations like Southern California. Other publication offerings included opinion polls (letters to the editor), book reviews (and, in later issues, movie critiques) on materials covering the paranormal, and classified ads. Readers could find advertisements promoting lectures of interest to those in the field, invitations to local gatherings and conventions, and pitches for unique products and publications catering to those with otherworldly interests.

Ghost Trackers Newsletter, Volume 8, No. 3, October 1989. This advertisement is representative of what could be found in GTN issues. The Book of Azrael: An Intimate Encounter with the Angel of Death is one of several publications by author Leilah Wendell documenting supposed communications with an otherworldly entity with intimate knowledge of the afterlife. Due to its subject matter and limited printing, copies of this book have become increasingly desirable among collectors and researchers.

While the subject matter covered by the newsletter appears questionable to skeptics when analyzed through a historical lens, GTN provides a unique look into local and far-reaching stories. For example, a 1983 issue of the newsletter took up Chicagoland’s most famous ghost, Resurrection Mary, at length, recounting supposed sightings and other events related to the story. As those familiar with the story know, one of the most enduring parts of the legend is the supposed metal bars of the cemetery gate where Mary’s ghost left her ghostly handprints, warping the structure in the process. The 1983 article in the newsletter, simply titled “Resurrection Mary,” goes into extensive detail about this story, providing specific dates, names, and even an image, all of which can serve as potential leads for those interested in exploring the legend further.

Pages from Ghost Trackers Newsletter, vol. 2, no. 4, October 1983

Similarly, many of the adverts peppered throughout the newsletter give historians a concise record of when and where gatherings took place, thereby allowing us to map the trajectory of specific organizations, movements, and individuals that may otherwise have left scarce records. While seemingly trivial, these records can be of value to a diverse group of researchers interested in tracking a story.

Ghost Trackers Newsletter, vol. 2, no. 8, June 1989

All said and done, Ghost Trackers Newsletter had an impressive run. Its final issue was published in October 2001, meaning it was around for roughly two decades, and as is made apparent by several of its issues, it had an international readership. One of its most significant accomplishments was how seriously it took its work, time and time again, featuring pieces focused on the importance of research and objectivity as anchors for those with this area of interest.

Ghost Trackers Newsletter, Volume 5, No. 8, October 1986. This half-page list written by GTN editor Dan Kaczmarek is one of the many regularly published pieces dedicated to the craft of paranormal research. Other pieces were more substantial and covered topics as diverse as the difference between a spirit and a ghost and advice on taking experimental spirit photographs using emerging technologies.

It also provides extensive records on how the growing access to technology revolutionized the ways communities with niche interests communicated and developed. What initially began as a largely handmade publication eventually transitioned into a publication that served as a revenue stream for this organization, a mission further achieved by the newsletter’s adoption of word processing software in the late 1980s, which facilitated the editorial process, made for a more uniform newsletter, and enabled the more regular inclusion of images and written content from guest authors beyond the Chicago metro. As Ghost Trackers Newsletter makes clear, the digital revolution at the end of the 20th century brought new tools to old haunts.

The Museum’s copies of Ghost Trackers Newsletter are available for interested researchers at the Abakanowicz Research Center, which is free to visit.

For Photographer Appreciation Month, CHM Abakanowicz Research Center associate Annika Kohrt writes about our holdings on George R. Lawrence, a Chicago inventor and photographer with larger than life ambitions and a portfolio to match.

I love the story of a tinkerer. George R. Lawrence (1868–1938) was a relatively fearless Chicago inventor who made several innovations in the field of photography. When I say “relatively fearless,” I mean he was creating small explosions to light his photographs and flying hot air balloons to get aerial photographs in the time before airplanes. He eventually had enough life-threatening experiences in the balloons that he switched to designing unmanned kites, understandably.

Undated portrait of George R. Lawrence. CHM, ICHi-011070

Like Daniel Burnham’s famous statement, “Make no little plans,” Lawrence was dreaming big—literally. He advertised “The Hitherto Impossible in Photography is Our Specialty,” and the first impossible feat in photography he took on was artificial lighting. Before flash bulbs and flood lights existed, photographers used magnesium chloride to generate a quick burst of light to get nighttime shots. Fire officials banned the use of this flash powder at large gatherings because of the danger of explosions, but Lawrence tinkered away at a magnesium formula until it “generated more light and less smoke.”

He then developed a system of portable towers connected by electrical circuits to make simultaneous sparks that ignited the powder in multiple places in a room and a canvas bag that dropped over the light to collect the smoke immediately after the picture. For this he earned the title “Flashlight Lawrence” among his friends, and he made good business photographing large indoor banquets and assemblies across the country. Lawrence also designed and developed his own panoramic banquet camera to capture a proportional image of each individual in a group picture.

Committee on the Plan of Chicago in Daniel Burnham’s office, Chicago, c. 1908. Seated on the right side of the table: Edward B. Butler, Daniel H. Burnham, Charles D. Norton, Clyde M. Carr, Edward F. Carry, Edward H. Bennett, John DeLaMater, Charles G. Dawes. Seated on the left: John G. Shedd, Charles H. Thorne, Theodore W. Robinson, Emerson B. Tuttle, John W. Scott, John V. Farwell, Charles H. Wacker. CHM, ICHi-003560; George R. Lawrence Company, photographer

Undated photograph of banquet group at the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago. CHM, ICHi-000566; George R. Lawrence, photographer

Lawrence’s single-plate banquet panoramas caught the eye of personnel from the Chicago & Alton Railroad (this story has something for the train lovers out there too!), which in 1899 had just built the most symmetrical train in the world: with uniform windows, trucks, and cars. Commissioned to create a faultless single photograph of the beautiful train, Lawrence and J. A. Anderson built a giant camera that weighed 1,400 pounds and required 15 operators: the largest camera in the world for the “handsomest train in the world.”

Men adjusting the bellows on George Lawrence’s Big Camera, 1911. CHM, ICHi-022529

Then, determined to outdo himself, Lawrence started making balloons to create urban panoramas from great heights. To great fanfare, he went up to capture the Armour Packing Plants, but he didn’t come down the way that he planned. The balloon broke from its ropes, and Lawrence and his camera fell from 200 feet, but they were caught 50 feet above the ground by telephone and telegraph wires! He immediately bought another balloon and got the stockyards photographs, but after a second mishap in Minnesota, he started working with unmanned kites.

George R. Lawrence’s balloon at Armour & Company, June 21, 1901. CHM, ICHi-011036.

The incident captured in the Chicago Daily News, June 21, 1901.

Kites used to support George R. Lawrence camera equipment, c. 1905. CHM, ICHi-011047; George R. Lawrence, photographer

Lawrence was a daredevil with flair, matched with mechanical genius and artistic ambition. A large portion of his large photographs are in our collection, and you can view them for free at the Abakanowicz Research Center. And if you’re interested in bird’s-eye views of Chicago, we have plenty of resources beyond Lawrence’s photographs. Plan your visit today!

Additional Resources

• View the finding aid for the George R. Lawrence Collection, 1900–1910
• Peruse our online image portal CHM Images

In anticipation of our upcoming exhibition Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective, CHM costume collection manager Jessica Pushor shares about Sally Rand and a pair of her fans that will be on display.

Born Helen Gould Beck in Missouri, Sally Rand (1904–79) got her start as a chorus girl before working as an acrobat and traveling theater performer. Her career spanned more than forty years, appearing on stage, screen, and television.

Studio portrait of Sally Rand posing with her feather fans, San Francisco, c. 1933. CHM, ICHi-183610, Romaine Photography, photographer

Sally Rand arrived in Chicago in 1933 and began her infamous fan dance at the Streets of Paris Cafe de la Paix stage at the A Century of Progress International Exposition, accompanied by her backing orchestra, directed by Art Frasik. This dance was performed to Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” with a run time anywhere between five and eight minutes. Rand would play peek-a-boo with her body by manipulating her fans in front and behind her. In a Chicago Tribune article from July 25, 1933, she describes how she fools the audience: “After hours of practice before a mirror I learned how to manipulate the fans so that the spectators would think they were seeing something when they really were not. The routine was evolved after I was asked to dance as nearly nude as possible at one of Chicago’s better known clubs.”(1)

A crowd listens to a barker on a small stage in the Streets of Paris at the A Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, September 1934. CHM, ICHi-167341; O. L. Cook, photographer

Within two months of the world’s fair opening, the fan dance came under the scrutiny of local authorities and was soon characterized as lewd and lascivious. Rand was arrested four times in a single day—on August 4, 1933—after every performance of her fan dance at the Chicago Theatre on charges of putting on an indecent exhibition.(2) Rand made a concession after her arrests and coated herself with body paint, which satisfied the authorities and allowed her to continue performing the fan dance.(3)

Left: News coverage of Sally Rand the day before she was arrested four times in one day, Chicago Daily News, August 3, 1933, p. 31. Right: One way Rand appeased authorities was by wearing a dress, Chicago Daily News, August 7, 1933, p. 4.

On September 23, 1933, Sally Rand was convicted of willfully performing an obscene and indecent dance in a public place. She was sentenced to one year in county jail and fined $200. Even after the conviction, Rand was still allowed to perform, and it is estimated that at least 2 million people saw her dance at the world’s fair, making the Streets of Paris one of the most profitable concessions at the fair. The following year, in November 1934, her conviction was overturned.

In 1943, the Chicago History Museum, then the Chicago Historical Society (CHS), arranged for the donation of Rand’s feather fans, with a press release announcing the new acquisition. But before Rand’s scheduled appearance at CHS, there was an emergency Board of Trustees meeting, and CHS president Joseph M. Cudahy released this statement to the press: “The board feels that the fans used by Miss Sally Rand at a Century of Progress are not relative to the World’s Columbian Exposition material now on exhibition and does not believe they have sufficient historical interest to warrant their acceptance by the Museum.”(4)

In 1966, CHS contacted Sally Rand, who by then was the featured performer at Mangam’s Chateau, a hip restaurant and nightclub in Lyons, Illinois, that featured big names in comedy, singers, and other variety acts. CHS asked Rand if she would donate her feather fans, and she happily obliged. Then-CHS president Clement Silvestro said they were accepting the fans into the collection because “The fans made history, they represent a phase of American life.”(5)

Fans, c. 1966. Ostrich feathers, plastic, wood. Maybelle Shearer, Chicago. Gift of Miss Sally Rand. 1966.398a-b. CHM, ICHi-186021

The fans that Sally Rand donated to CHS in 1966 are not the original ones she used in 1933–34. They are very similar to those fans but were purchased by Rand in 1966 and were used during her appearance at the Mangam’s Chateau, where she performed the same fan dance that launched her to fame some 30 years prior.

Sally Rand stands atop the Great Chicago Fire relic at the Chicago Historical Society, August 30, 1966. ST-90004010-0033, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM

When Rand came to the Museum to donate the fans, she climbed atop the molten metal relic salvaged from the Great Chicago Fire (which to this day still sits outside the Museum) and swirled her feather fans around her, much to the delight of the newspaper reporters and photographers in attendance. When asked if she was actually nude behind those fans back in 1933, she replied, “The Rand is quicker than the eye.”

You can see Sally Rand’s fans on display in our exhibition Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective, open October 19, 2024, through July 27, 2025.

Additional Resources

• See more images of Sally Rand in our collection
• Listen to Sally Rand talk to Studs Terkel about the creation of her signature fan dance (0:33)
• Purchase the Dressed in History: A Costume Collection Retrospective exhibition catalogue

Footnotes

1. “A FAN DANCER TELLS HOW SHE FOOLS THE BOYS: IT REQUIRES PRACTICE, SALLY SAYS.” Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963), Jul 25, 1933, 5. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/fan-dancer-tells-how-she-fools-boys/docview/181449001/se-2
2. “Sally Dances in Loop; Arrest Her 4 Times.” Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963),  August 5, 1933. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/sally-dances-loop-arrest-her-4-times/docview/181401483/se-2
3. Virginia Gardner, “Sally Listens to Judges, then Wraps Herself in Coat of Paint.” Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963), August 6, 1933, 3. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/sally-listens-judges-then-wraps-herself-coat/docview/181440393/se-2
4. Daily Times, May 10, 1943, 73. NewsBank: Selected America’s Historical Newspapers , https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=EANX-NB&req_dat=0D99702A94485B8A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A176820A8B9EC1C11%2540EANX-NB-
5. Sheila Wolfe. “Sally Rand’s Fans make it into Museum.” Chicago Tribune (1963-1996), August 31, 1966. https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/sally-rands-fans-make-into-museum/docview/179030860/se-2
6. Chicago Sun-Times, September 4, 1966, 27. NewsBank: Selected America’s Historical Newspapers. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A1443FD2E0D78767F%40EANX-NB-170C06B6964EAFB1%402439373-1707542CD2EC2676%4026-1707542CD2EC2676%40