Inside the Collection is a video series that invites you into the Chicago History Museum’s storage spaces to explore unusual, interesting artifacts from our vast collection. In this installment, senior collection manager Britta Keller Arendt and summer intern Amy Sparks discuss an original traffic controller switch, c. 1926, from Chicago’s Loop. The city used this More
Inside the Collection is a video series that invites you into the Chicago History Museum’s storage spaces to explore unusual, interesting artifacts from our vast collection. In the inaugural installment of Inside the Collection, Britta Keller Arendt, CHM’s senior collection manager, and intern Catrien Egbert highlight a meal bin, a storage container for various grains (think More
Editor’s note: This weekend is the last chance to see Making Mainbocher. The exhibition closes on Sunday, August 20. In fashion exhibitions, many things vie for attention. The focus, of course, is on the garments with their rich fabrics, vibrant colors, and sparkly embellishments. But, how do these pieces go from collection storage (hanging on More
Just as it’s impossible to keep insects out of our homes, it’s impossible to keep them from entering museums as well. While insects in general are not harmful to humans, many of them can severely damage the very collections that museums seek to preserve. In order to prevent this, many museums, including CHM, have instituted More
When you work at a museum, you wear specific gloves when handling certain artifacts, most of the time. Researchers and visitors often ask us why, so here’s a bit more about why we love our gloves. Just a portion of the glove supply in the Collections office. All images by Esther Wang At the Chicago More