Lectures
Remembering Marshall Field’s. For more than 150 years, Marshall Field and Co. reigned as Chicago's leading department store. This lavishly illustrated talk traces the store's history from its beginnings as a dry good store in 1852 into a world-class fashion and service trendsetter. Photographs, ads, postcards, and memorabilia trace the store's cherished traditions - the Walnut Room Christmas tree, the State Street store's legendary window displays, and, of course, Frango Mints. [Based on Goddard's book,Remembering Marshall Field's, published by Arcadia Publishing in 2011. Book sales and signings available in conjunction with talk.]
Chicago's Sweet Candy History. For most its
history, Chicago produced about one-third of the nation's candy. The city has
called itself the Candy Capital of America since the turn of the century. You
probably know some of the candies made or invented here -- Brach's caramels,
Mars Snickers bars, Wrigley's gum, Cracker Jack, Curtiss Baby Ruth bars,
Tootsie Rolls, Frango Mints, Dove chocolates. Learn some of the history behind
these tasty treats and explore what made Chicago such a powerful location for
candymakers. Delicious!
American Beauty. From squeezing into hoop crinoline skirts
to spackling their skin with make-up, American women have gone to amusing and
sometime horrifying lengths in their quest for beauty. Travel through more than
a century of magazine ads, patent illustrations and artifacts to learn the
fascinating stories behind such feminine enhancements as the push-up bra, the
rubber girdle, chip-proof nail polish, dusky mascara, and kiss-proof lipstick.
This talk is both a nostalgic look back at the beauty industry and a fascinating
exploration of the cultural meanings of American beauty ideals.
The Rise and Fall of State Street. For much of Chicago’s history, State
Street reigned as the city’s premier retail shopping corridor, boasting
such major stores as Marshall Field and Company, Carson, Pirie, Scott, Mandel
Brothers, the Fair, and Goldblatt’s, which set new standards for retail
innovation, customer-pampering services and visual display. Generations of
Chicagoans trekked to State Street annually for holiday shopping, civic
celebrations, and just an afternoon of fun. This illustrated talk traces the
rise and fall of State Street as Chicago’s premier shopping destination, using
photographs and artifacts to explore the history of the major department
stores, smaller, value-oriented stores and the tensions brought about by the
emergence of suburban shopping malls and the corridor’s brief conversion of the
area into a transit mall.
Requirements for any illustrated lecture:
- Screen or white wall on which to project slides
- LCD projector
- Table for approx. 20-25 artifacts
- Microphone, if desired
