Made-in-Chicago Museum - An Industrial History in Everyday Objects: 1900-1970

Thordarson Electric MFG Co., est. 1895

Museum Artifact: Thordarson Amplifying Transformer, c. 1920s

Made By: Thordarson Electric Manufacturing Co., 500 W. Huron St., Chicago, IL

“The Thordarson factory is more than an assembly plant. All phases of transformer manufacturing, engineering, core and case stamping, coil winding, impregnating, enameling, assembly, and testing are done under one roof. . . . It has grown from a small one-man shop to a place of leadership in the field—the largest organization in the world devoted exclusively to the manufacture of transformers.” —Thordarson Electric Sound Amplifier Manual,

Toby Rubovits, Inc., est. 1893

Museum Artifact: General Motors “Erie Limited” Locomotive Data Card (Electro-Motive Div.), 1950s

Made By: Toby Rubovits, Inc., 127 S. Aberdeen St., Chicago, IL

On New Year’s Day, 1912, Toby Rubovits took out a large advertisement in the Chicago Tribune, promoting his services as “Printing without frills.” He was, unlike many of his competitors, offering three professional skills in one office.

Zenith Radio Corporation, est. 1918

Museum Artifacts: Super-Triumph Tube Radio (1951, pictured above), Model 4R Long Distance Receiver/Amplifier (1923), Model 808 Tombstone Radio (1934), Model 6D-2620 Radio (1942), Colsol-Tone H511 (1951), Royal 500 Transistor Radio (1960), Model F508V Radio (1964), Spirit of ’76 Television (1976)

Made By: Zenith Radio Corporation, 6001 W. Dickens Ave., Chicago, IL

“You’ve had your last tussle with howling radio static once you tune in this terrific performer.

Steven’s Candy Kitchens, est. 1921

Museum Artifact: Mrs. Steven’s Candies Tins, 1920s-1960s

Made By: Steven Candy Kitchens, Inc., 611 N. Sacramento Blvd., Chicago, IL

Donated By: Chaleen Stevens (no relation)

“It’s easy to make money in your kitchen, even if you don’t have any business sense. There are many women who could develop profitable small businesses which could be handled from their homes and still not interfere with their domestic duties.” –Julia Steven Krafft,

Pines Winterfront Co., est. 1916

Museum Artifact: Pines Automatic Winterfront Radiator Shutter, c. 1920s

Made By: Pines Winterfront Company, 1135 N. Cicero Ave., Chicago, IL

“Winterfront is a necessity for winter driving because it regulates the inflow of cold, thereby maintaining the motor at highest efficiency. It is an important factor in keeping thousands of cars in operation during the winter and has been of big help in bringing about the ’12-month motor car.’” —Pines Winterfront advertisement,

Columbia Medallion Studios, est. 1888

Museum Artifact: Tintype Photo Medallion of Woman, c. 1910s

Made By: Columbia Medallion Studios / Columbia Portrait Co., 6616-6620 South Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago, IL

“These beautiful photo medallions are the most artistic portraits ever produced. They are mounted on non-corrosive metal specially prepared. The portrait is burnt in, same as on porcelain, and covered with heavy celluloid, making the picture strong and imperishable,

Musical Postcard Company, est. 1958

Museum Artifact: “Little Playmates” Musical Postcard / Christmas Card and “Chicago” Musical Postcard, c. 1960

Made By: Musical Postcard Company, 415 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL

Donated By: Nyla Panzilius

It’s no news to anyone that you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole. But what about playing a rectangular paper record on a round turntable? If you’re simultaneously intrigued and skeptical,

Crane Company, est. 1855

Museum Artifact: Crane 1/2″ No 1204 Brass Globe Valve (c. 1930s) and 75th Anniversary Medallion (1930)

Made By: Crane Company, 4100 S. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, IL

“I am resolved to conduct my business in the strictest Honesty and Fairness; to avoid all deception and trickery; to deal Fairly with both Customers and Competitors; to be Liberal and Just toward Employees; and to put my Whole Mind upon the Business.” —Resolution supposedly made by R.

Boyer Chemical Laboratory Co., est. 1912

Museum Artifacts: Boyer “Flowers of Beauty” and No. 34 Face Powder, 1930s-40s

Made By: Boyer Chemical Laboratory Co. / Boyer International Laboratories, Inc., 2700 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL

“In France are the great masters of the art of perfumery and preparations for beauty. Nowhere else in the world is the art as highly developed or the materials available as fine or rare in quality.

Duro Decal Company, est. 1938

Museum Artifact: Duro “Sign Maker” Letter and Number Decals + Display Box, c. 1960s

Made By: Duro Decal Co., Inc. / Duro Art Supply, Inc. / Duro Art Industries, 1832 W. Juneway Terrace, Chicago, IL

Donated By: Jeff Levine

“Duro Letters and Numbers speed up work and are easy to transfer, making every sign a perfect job. Each character is precision made of Best Grade Black Lacquer and Gold Bronze to insure uniformity and quality.

Overton Hygienic MFG Co., est. 1898

Museum Artifact: Overton’s High Brown Face Powder, 1944

Made By: The Overton-Hygienic Manufacturing Company, 3621 S. State Street, Chicago, IL

“High-Brown Face Powder clings so closely and matches the skin so perfectly that no one ever suspects the powder is there. The quality is rare, the perfume rich and fragrant. . . . Every known facility and method for the manufacture of face powder are employed so as to yield the famous High Brown quality demanded by the ‘lady who knows.’” —Overton Hygienic MFG Co.

Orthovis Company, est. 1933

Museum Artifact: “The Bear” Ortho-Scope 3-D Children’s Book, 1934

Made By: The Orthovis Company / Orthovis Publishing Co., 1328 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL

“The amazing illustrations in ORTHOVIS educational books give the illusion of life-like depth and atmospheric distance. Through the eyes of the orthoscope that comes with each book, animals, birds and objects seem to become alive.” —Orthovis advertisement,

Victor Adding Machine Co., est. 1918

Museum Artifacts: Victor Adding Machines – Model 210 (c. 1925, donated by Robert Eichhorn) and 600 Series (c. 1939)

Made By: Victor Adding Machine Company, 3900 N. Rockwell St., Chicago, IL

“The design of the VICTOR is a work of art, and has been pronounced by experts the most beautiful adding machine ever produced. It has about one-third the working parts ordinarily used in adding machine construction,

Super Sensitive Musical String Co., est. 1930

Museum Artifact: Super-Sensitive Stainless Strings – Viola A and D Strings, c. 1950s

Made By: Super Sensitive Musical String Company, 4814 W. Division St., Chicago, IL

The Super-Sensitive Musical String Company has the longest name of any business featured in the Made In Chicago Museum, but its time in Chicago was comparatively brief; and its clientele notably niche. Before and after moving its operation to Florida in the early 1970s,

Inland Glass Works, est. 1922

Museum Artifact: Glass Carafe and Warmer, 1950s

Made By: Inland Glass Works (aka Inland Glass Co.), div. of Club Aluminum Products Co. 6101 W. 65th Street, Chicago, IL

“Center of attention . . . your fashionable INLAND Carafe! Family and guests will love the scintillating beauty of this hand-blown glass server, smartly trimmed in either gleaming copper or platinum. Matching tripod candle warmer adds charm,

Superior Match Co., est. 1937

Museum Artifacts: Superior Match Promotional Matchbook and Company Catalog No. 612, 1940s

Made By: Superior Match Company, 7530 S. Greenwood Ave., Chicago, IL

“Book Matches are silent salesmen, on the job for you constantly, never taking a day off, never late for work, never taking a vacation or asking for a raise in pay! . . . For just as surely as a match is used to light a cigarette,

Alvah MFG Co., est. 1892

Museum Artifact: Alvah Sewing Machine, c. 1893

Made By: Alvah MFG Co. / Sears, Roebuck & Co. / Ely MFG Co., 149 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL

Donated to the Museum By: Jerry Cook

This Alvah Sewing Machine, kindly donated to our collection by Mr. Jerry Cook, represents a very specific moment in time–albeit one outside the usual 20th century focus of our museum.

Empire Spice Mills MFG Co., est. 1936

Museum Artifact: Burma Brand Spices: Pure Ground Cinnamon Tin, c. 1940s

Made By: Empire Spice Mills Manufacturing Company, 917 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL

Chicago’s Empire Spice Mills Manufacturing Company (no relation to the current Empire Spice Mills of Winnipeg, Canada) was a peculiar little enterprise that only existed for a little over a decade, from the late 1930s to a few years beyond the Second World War.

Morton Salt Company, est. 1848

Museum Artifacts: Morton’s Free Running Salt and Sausage Seasoning (1930s) + Morton Salt Cardboard Store Display and Advertising Blotters (1950s)

Made By: Morton Salt Company, 1357 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL

“Out of every 10 pounds of salt produced in this country, 9 you never see! . . . Of the salt you do see—table and household salt—only a little more than a billion pounds are consumed each year.

Vaughan Novelty MFG Co., est. 1910

Museum Artifact: Vaughan’s Grip-Tite Bottle Stopper, Perfo-Siphon Bottle Stopper, and Fox Deluxe Punch-Style Bottle Opener, c. 1950s

Made By: Vaughan Novelty MFG Co., 3211 W. Carroll Ave., Chicago, IL

The bottle and the bottle opener—a vital symbiotic relationship that’s been mildly inconveniencing mankind for generations. No one ever knows exactly where their bottle opener is at any given moment, nor where it came from in the first place.

F.W. Planert & Sons, est. 1898

Museum Artifact: Planert Ice Skate Sharpening Jig (1910s) and Ice Skate Box (1930s)

Made By: F.W. Planert & Sons, Inc., 935-941 N Damen Ave., Chicago, IL

“Perfect design—perfect alignment—perfect fit and perfect performance. The New Planert All Steel—Full Tubular Skates are now the most popular of all skates. Their beautiful stream lines—their perfect fitting fine leather shoes and wonderful quality steel construction has won the hearts of every boy and girl who appreciates speed,

Valmor Products Co., est. 1926

Museum Artifacts: “Lucky Brown” Hair Pressing Oil (1938) and “Slick Black” Promo Poster, c. 1940s

Made By: Valmor Products Co. / Famous Products Co., 2241 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago, IL

Whether you enjoy debating the ethics of cultural appropriation, the definition of true art, or the line between female empowerment and objectification, the story of the Valmor Products Company basically covers all the bases—like a pulp-novel catalog of 20th century American contradictions.

Western Felt Works, est. 1899

Museum Artifact: Salesman’s Pamphlet with Original Felt Samples, c. 1920s

Made By: Western Felt Works, 4029-4117 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago, IL

“Today is felt’s heyday. Its use is almost universal, and its appeal . . . well, its appeal is the appeal the individual is capable of creating. For every display use, there has never been a more versatile material.” —Display World magazine,