chicago

Julius Rosenwald

Julius Rosenwald (1862–1932) was a businessman, billionaire and philanthropist. His net worth was $80M at death (equaling about $1.4B today).  He was half owner of Sears--he saved the company during the infamous financial panic of 1893--and he donated millions to educating African Americans in the South in the 1920s. He also donated to the Tuskegee Institute. In this biography, Mr. Ascoli paints a portrait of Julius Rosenwald, aka, "JR." This book, which was signed by the author, has 450 pages and features black and white photographs.

The Wonder Book of Good Meals

"The only bread baked at the Chicago World's Fair."  Wonder Bakery was the first major company to adapt commerical bread slicers.  Imagine the "wonder" that was inspired when they exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934 just a few short years after the slicers were invented.  The exhibition baked, sliced, and packaged bread on the spot.  The Wonder book of good meals:  World's Fair Edition was given out as a keepsake/advertisement to fairgoers.  It includes recipes for every course, as well as defining "whitchery," the art of making sandwiches.

And the Migrants Kept Coming

A rare eight-page reprint of Jacob Lawrence’s The Migration of the Negro (Series) for Fortune Magazine, November 1941. Lawrence, educated at the Harlem Community Art Center and the American Artists School in New York, worked on WPA mural projects in the city. In 1940 he created this series of colorful paintings, illustrating the migration of African-Americans from the south to northern industrial centers such as New York, Philadelphia, and Detroit.  The Fortune article was the first time a mainstream magazine published the work of an African-American artist.

Just For You

This trade catalog was published by Geneva Kitchens of Geneva, Illinois. It features designs and color options for the all-steel kitchens of the 1950s. Geneva Kitchens, like many post WWII companies, promoted the all-metal kitchen as efficient, safe, easy to maintain, and sanitary while being fashionably colorful, streamlined, and modern. This beautifully designed catalog also documents the style and taste of the domestic interior of the 1950s, and provides a direct window into the Illinoisan home-life and décor of the mid-20th century.