Museum Artifact: Cast-Iron Dog Tray Nut Cracker, 1899
Made By: Harper Supply Co. (40 Dearborn St, Chicago) / Chicago Hardware Foundry Co. (2500 Commonwealth Ave., North Chicago, IL)
“It is a fact that the successful sale of any product is dependent upon the genuineness of the need for which it is manufactured.” —Earl P. Sedgwick, co-founder and president of the Chicago Hardware Foundry Company
While Mr.
Museum Artifacts: Citation Beaver Quality Fedora, c. 1950s, and Mid City Khaki Garrison Cap, 1948
Made By: Citation Hat Corp. / Mid City Uniform Cap Company, 2330 W. Cermak Rd., Chicago, IL
“I hate like hell to praise myself, but at the same time I cannot go away from the truth.” —Harry Lev
In the summer of 1955,
Museum Artifact: Lubri-Gas 1 Gallon Can, c. 1950s
Made By: Lubri-Gas International, Inc., 221 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: 4 Educational Filmstrips + Audio Records – Aesop’s Fables, 1968
Made By: Coronet Films / Coronet Instructional Media Inc., 65 East South Water Street, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: Burnishine Metal Polish, c. 1900
Made By: J. C. Paul & Company., 59 Dearborn St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: Platt “Airess” Train Case, c. 1940s
Made By: Platt Luggage, Inc., 2001 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: Indestro Bottle Capper, 1920s
Made By: Indestro MFG Co., 3429 W. 47th St. / Duro Metal Products, 2649 N. Kildare Ave.
When Gertrude McNaught Odlum died in 1992, aged 96, she was widely remembered as an award-winning breeder of dairy cows, owning a pair of multi-million dollar farms in the Chicago suburbs (“Rolling Acres” and “Odlum Farm”). Far less publicized,
Museum Artifact: Altitude Correction Computer, c. 1945
Made By: G. Felsenthal & Sons, 4100 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL
“No sign posts on the mountains . . . no concrete highways in the soup . . . no rocky peak so kind it steps aside to let a plane go by. Yet, with the navigational instruments precision made by Felsenthal, in Felsenthal Plastics,
Museum Artifact: Kay Ukulele, c. 1960
Made By: Kay Musical Instrument Company, 1640 W. Walnut St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: Sanford’s Ink Eraser by Sanford MFG Co., c. 1910s
Made By: Sanford MFG Co. / Sanford Ink Company, 846-854 W. Congress Street, Chicago, IL
“Have you handled Sanford’s ink eraser yet? Every office needs it and every stationer should carry it in stock. It does the work of erasing ink from paper and stains from cloth perfectly. It is put up in a handsome round corner package and is made by the Sanford Manufacturing Company,
Museum Artifact: Portable Lamp, c. 1940s
Made By: Electro Manufacturing Corporation, 2000 W. Fulton Street, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: Decal Borders, c. 1950s
Made By: Meyercord Co., 5323 West Lake St., Chicago, IL
Donated By: Jeff Levine
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: 25 LB Kitchen Scale, c. 1950s
Made by: American Family Scale Co., 515 S. Laflin St., Chicago, IL
A television metaphor might not be entirely apropos for the time period, but when the American Family Scale Company was established in 1928, it was essentially a “spin-off” of Chicago’s venerable American Cutlery Company. In fact, all the classic hallmarks of a TV spin-off were there:
1—The original,
Museum Artifact: Jorgensen Hand Screw Clamps, c. 1950s
Made by: Adjustable Clamp Co., 417 N Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL
Back in 2015, when the Made In Chicago Museum was in its developmental stages, the Adjustable Clamp Company stood out as the rare “feel good” story amidst a sea of shuttered factories, outmoded merchandise, and forgotten dreams. The respected tool manufacturer, which changed its name to Pony Tools in 2013 (adopting the title of one of its’ long-running brands),
Museum Artifact: Tailor’s Measuring Tape, c. 1930s
Made By: Kling Bros. & Co. Inc., 2300 W. Wabansia Ave, Chicago, IL
“Garments that combine character and charm with lines that are clean cut, comfortable, and correct. . . . Are you one of the ten thousand dealers who know the immeasurable satisfaction to be found in KLING-MADE clothing specialties?”—1920 ad for Kling Bros.
Museum Artifact: Kellogg Redbar 1000 Series Masterphone, 1952
Made By: Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Co., 6650 S. Cicero Ave., Chicago, IL
Widely promoted during the Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Company’s 50th anniversary in 1947, the 1000 Series “Redbar” Masterphone—like the one in our collection—is a bit of a postwar icon. It might not have the rich oak exterior of an early box phone or the brass shimmer of an old candlestick model,
Museum Artifacts: Cretors Popcorn Wagon Steam Engine, 1908, and Pop Corn Carton, 1920s
Made By: C. Cretors & Company, 600 W. Cermak Road, Chicago, IL
“Cretors’ Pop Corn is the most pleasing of any in the world. No other novelty gives such a degree of enjoyment and satisfaction for the money. Relished by all, young or old—rich and poor alike, during all seasons of the year—it wins instant success everywhere,
Museum Artifact: Mov-E-Lite Portable Flood Light Bar, c. 1950s
Made By: Acme-Lite Manufacturing Co., 401 N. Wood St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: SM-4 Power Fuse Refill Unit, 1960s
Made By: S&C Electric Co., 6601 N. Ridge Blvd., Chicago, IL
In 2012, shortly after Chicago’s S&C Electric Company marked its 100th anniversary, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) awarded the business special recognition for one of the “milestone” achievements in electrical engineering history—the 1909 invention of the liquid power fuse. During a special dedication ceremony at S&C’s Rogers Park headquarters,
Museum Artifact: John Crane Metallic Water Pump Packing, Style 112, c. 1920s
Made By: Crane Packing Company, 1800 W. Cuyler Avenue, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: “Red Cross” Spaghetti Box, c. 1920s
Made By: The John B. Canepa Company, 302-310 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Museum Artifact: Ribbonette Ribbon Spool Dispenser, c. 1940s
Made By: Chicago Printed String Co., 2300 W. Logan Blvd, Chicago, IL
“In the decorative wrapping and ribbon business, you can’t find any larger than Chicago Printed String.” —Chicago Tribune, August 5, 1960
While the name would certainly suggest a homegrown original, the Chicago Printed String Company could actually trace its beginnings about 4,500 miles to the east,
Museum Artifact: American 3 Vees Bird Nesting, c. 1940s
Made by: American Bird Products, Inc., 2610 W. 25th Place, Chicago, IL
Starting with the pet canary craze of the ‘20s and ‘30s up through the post-war budgie boom, Chicago’s American Bird Products, Inc. (aka the American Bird Food MFG Co. and American Bird Corp.) established a nice niche for itself—evolving from a mere seed supplier into something more like a lifestyle brand for the feathered set.
