Museum Artifact: Lighthouse Cleanser, c. 1930s
Made by: Armour and Company, 1355 W. 31st St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Tins & Bottles
California Ale & Beverage Co., est. 1920s
Museum Artifact: California Club Seltzer Water Bottle, c. 1930s
Made By: California Ale & Beverage Company, 3006-3030 West Fillmore Street, Chicago, IL
The vintage seltzer bottle above was personally donated to the collection by Marc Schulman, a man known to many Chicagoans as the president of Eli’s Cheesecake and the son of one of the city’s great restaurateurs, the late Eli Schulman.
Illinois Cosmetics Co., est. 1926
Museum Artifact: IL Cosmet Talcum Powder, c. 1920s
Made By: Illinois Cosmetics Co., 2108 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL
“This is the day of the Flapper. With the Armistice she came, and today she is firmly established in the hearts of all America.”
Those words appeared in a 1927 advertisement for the Illinois Cosmetics Company—aka Il Cosmet—and for all intents and purposes,
The Simoniz Company, est. 1910
Museum Artifact: Simoniz Car Wax Tin, 1940s
Made By: Simoniz Company, 2100 S. Indiana Avenue, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
E. K. Pond Company, est. 1870
Museum Artifact: Peter Pan Peanut Butter Tin, 1920s
Made By: E.K. Pond Company / Derby Foods, Inc., 517 W. 24th Street, Chicago, IL
In 1929, the Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie made a charitable contribution the likes of which we may never see again in the modern age of intellectual property. And it didn’t have anything to do with peanut butter.
Having already enjoyed international acclaim for his various tales of Peter Pan,
Clipper Products Co., est. 1930s
Museum Artifact: Modern Finished Bleached Wood Clipper Cleaner Polish, 1940
Made By: Clipper Products Sales Co., 3223 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago, IL
Who was A. Maxwell Brown? If you can solve that riddle, you might be one step closer to piecing together the story of Clipper Products—one of the more obscure and mysterious companies included in the Made-in-Chicago Museum.
Fittingly, our introduction to the Clipper brand took place in a quiet corner of a dark basement in Albany Park.
Stone Medicine Co., est. 1885
Museum Artifact: Dr. X. Stone’s Bronchial Throat Wafers, c. 1920s
Made By: The Stone Medicine Co., 3451 W. Madison St., Chicago, IL
There’s likely not a soul alive who can still speak to the product’s effectiveness, but for over 50 years—from 1883 to the middle of the Great Depression—Dr. X. Stone’s Bronchial Wafers remained a ubiquitous checkout-counter solution for Americans suffering from “hoarseness,
E.B. Millar & Co., est. 1870s
Museum Artifact: Millar’s Nut-Brown Brand Coffee Just-Rite Tin, c. 1930s
Made By: E.B. Millar and Company, 426 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Central Wholesale Grocers, Inc., est. 1917
Museum Artifact: Silver Cup Brand Coffee Tin, c. 1930s
Made By: Central Wholesale Grocers, Inc., 1001 S. California Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Reed Candy Company, est. 1883
Museum Artifact: Reed’s Butter Scotch Patties Tin, c. 1920s
Made By: Reed Candy Company, 1245 W. Fletcher St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Archived Reader Comments:
“I maybe able to help you. My great grandmother was Mildred Reed. I have pictures of my father and uncle at the Reed factory.
Reid, Murdoch and Co., est. 1853
Museum Artifact: Monarch Cocoa Tin, 1920s
Made By: Reid, Murdoch & Co., 325 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL
“When a Chicago business attains dimensions which overshadow those with which it may be compared, it becomes in the broadest sense a Chicago institution and belongs in a manner to every Chicagoan. It stands for Chicago pluck, Chicago brains and Chicago energy.”— Frank H.
Compco Corp., est. 1940s
Museum Artifact: Compco 8mm Film Reel & Can, c. 1950s
Made By: Compco Corp., 1800 N. Spaulding Ave.
In the middle of the 20th century, home-made 8mm movies weren’t thought of as fuzzy sentimental keepsakes of long-ago family memories. They were hip technology—the Youtube of the times, giving millions of middle class folks the chance to see themselves (and maybe their kids, too,
Liberty Dairy Products Co., est. 1915
Museum Artifact: Liberty Dairy Milk Bottle, c. 1920s
Made By: Liberty Dairy Products Co., 851 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Peter Hand Brewing Co., est. 1891
Museum Artifacts: Peter Hand “Old Chicago” Dark Beer & “Old German” Style Beer Cans, c. 1970
Made By: Peter Hand Brewing Co., 1000 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Bremner Biscuit Company, est. 1871
Museum Artifact: Bremner Wafers Tin, 1960s
Made By: Bremner Biscuit Company, 901 W. Arthington St., Chicago, IL
The Bremner Biscuit Company was once about as authentically Chicagoan as deep dish pizza and the blues. Unfortunately, the 1980s showed little mercy for such cherished local institutions (even a lot of blues men started recording with synthesized harmonicas), as Bremner abruptly ended its century-long tenure in the city and relocated to Denver—still the company headquarters today.
Ditto Inc., est. 1921
Museum Artifact: Ditto Typewriter Ribbon Tin, c. 1930s
Made By: DITTO Inc., 605 S. Oakley Blvd., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Illinois Bronze Powder & Paint Co., est. 1906
Museum Artifact: Decorative Bronzing Liquid, c. 1910s
Made By: Illinois Bronze Powder Co., 162 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.