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! [Based on Goddard's book, Chicago's Sweet Candy History, published by Arcadia Publishing in 2012. Book sales and signs available in conjunction with talk.]
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.
Unravelling the History of Civil War Quilts.Some have said that during the American Civil War, women fought as furiously with their needles as men did with their swords. By 1865, an estimated 250,000 quilts had been made for the soldiers. They not only provided physical warmth and protection, they also encouraged flagging spirits, commemorated significant experiences, functioned as fundraisers, and became vehicles for patriotic and political expression. This program presents a close-up look at eight significant quilts with ties to the Civil War, examining both their aesthetic merit and their cultural context.
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.
Votes for Women: The 72-Year Struggle for Suffrage. At a time when voting often feels more like an obligation than a privilege, we can easily forget that it took 72 years for women to win the right to vote. This illustrated slide lecture explores the struggle from 1848 – when the first scandalous call was issued at Seneca Falls – to 1920, when women finally gained suffrages. In the ensuing years, women worked tirelessly, giving speeches, writing letters and petitions, gathered signatures by the thousands, and persevering in the face of strident opposition. In the final decade, some were jailed and even beaten. Learn the stories of the courageous women, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Alice Paul, who fought to win women the right to vote. You will never find voting inconvenient again.
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
