Museum Artifact: Mov-E-Lite Portable Flood Light Bar, c. 1950s
Made By: Acme-Lite Manufacturing Co., 401 N. Wood St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
S&C Electric Company, est. 1911
Museum Artifact: SM-4 Power Fuse Refill Unit, 1960s
Made By: S&C Electric Co., 6601 N. Ridge Blvd., Chicago, IL
In 2012, shortly after Chicago’s S&C Electric Company marked its 100th anniversary, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) awarded the business special recognition for one of the “milestone” achievements in electrical engineering history—the 1909 invention of the liquid power fuse. During a special dedication ceremony at S&C’s Rogers Park headquarters,
Crane Packing Co., est. 1917
Museum Artifact: John Crane Metallic Water Pump Packing, Style 112, c. 1920s
Made By: Crane Packing Company, 1800 W. Cuyler Avenue, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
John B. Canepa Company, est. 1860
Museum Artifact: “Red Cross” Spaghetti Box, c. 1920s
Made By: The John B. Canepa Company, 302-310 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Chicago Printed String Company, est. 1915
Museum Artifact: Ribbonette Ribbon Spool Dispenser, c. 1940s
Made By: Chicago Printed String Co., 2300 W. Logan Blvd, Chicago, IL
“In the decorative wrapping and ribbon business, you can’t find any larger than Chicago Printed String.” —Chicago Tribune, August 5, 1960
While the name would certainly suggest a homegrown original, the Chicago Printed String Company could actually trace its beginnings about 4,500 miles to the east,
American Bird Products, Inc., est. 1926
Museum Artifact: American 3 Vees Bird Nesting, c. 1940s
Made by: American Bird Products, Inc., 2610 W. 25th Place, Chicago, IL
Starting with the pet canary craze of the ‘20s and ‘30s up through the post-war budgie boom, Chicago’s American Bird Products, Inc. (aka the American Bird Food MFG Co. and American Bird Corp.) established a nice niche for itself—evolving from a mere seed supplier into something more like a lifestyle brand for the feathered set.
Carl Goldberg Models, Inc., est. 1955
Museum Artifact: Stunt Man 23 Model Airplane Kit, c. 1970
Made By: Carl Goldberg Models, Inc., 4734 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL
Unless you’ve been a model airplane enthusiast at some point in your life, the name Carl Goldberg might not mean much to you. For several generations of young, aspiring aeronautical engineers, however, his work probably mattered more than anything Charles Lindbergh ever did.
Chicago Die Casting MFG Co., est. 1918
Museum Artifact: Promotional Display Sign for Die Cast Drive Pulleys, 1949
Made By: Chicago Die Casting Manufacturing Company, 2500 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Johnson Products Company, est. 1954
Museum Artifact: Ultra Sheen Conditioner & Hair Dress – 8oz Jar, c. 1970s
Made By: Johnson Products Company, Inc., 8522 S. Lafayette Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Jays Foods Inc., est. 1927
Museum Artifact: Jays Potato Chip Tin, 1950s
Made By: Jays Foods, Inc., 825 E. 99th Street, Chicago, IL
For over 75 years, Chicagoans have voraciously chomped away on handfuls of Jays Potato Chips—sharing in the communal assumption that some guy named Jay must have invented the salty snack for them back in the proverbial day. If you give it a closer look, however, the familiar Jays logo—with its conspicuous lack of an apostrophe—raises some questions.
J. W. Butler Paper Company, est. 1844
Museum Artifact: Promotional Paper Packet: “XL S. & S.C. Book” and “Monroe M. F. Book,” 1914
Made By: J. W. Butler Paper Company, 221-229 W. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Electric Corp. of America, est. 1942
Museum Artifact: Hand Painted Baseball Figurine, 1940s
Made By: Electric Corp. of America / ECA Toys, Inc. / ECA MFG Co., 2518 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL
Dating from the early 1940s, our sleepy ceramic Little Leaguer here was produced a few years after the first Hummel figurines hit the U.S. market, making him a sort of hyper-Americanized, wartime knockoff of those popular German collectibles.
Maybelline Company, est. 1915
Museum Artifact: Maybelline Mascara, c. 1940s
Made By: Maybelline Co. Distr., 5900 N. Ridge Ave., Chicago, IL
When the company now known as Maybelline New York marked its 100th anniversary in 2015, the celebration was—much like that patently unnecessary name change—almost suspiciously disconnected from the real history of a business born, built, and largely defined in Chicago.
A promotional blitz that could have served as the long overdue “coming out”
Precision Scientific Co., est. 1917
Museum Artifact: Precision Time-It Electric Timer, c. 1940s
Made By: Precision Scientific Company, 3737 W. Cortland St. Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Albert Pick & Co., est. 1857
Museum Artifact: Silver Coffee Pot (Sheridan Plaza Hotel), 1920s
Made by: Albert Pick & Company, 1200 W. 35th Street, Chicago, IL
“The Sheridan-Plaza Hotel Cafeteria operates from 8 o’clock in the morning until 12 o’clock at night and is always busy. The management of the Sheridan-Plaza, having made thorough study of conditions in the surrounding neighborhood, knew that a cafeteria operating all day and night would be a success.
Permo Inc. / Fidelitone, est. 1929
Museum Artifacts: Fidelitone Master and Supreme Phonograph Needles and All-Groove Needle Counter Display, 1950s
Made By: Permo, Inc. / Fidelitone, Inc., 6415 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL
Still in business today and headquartered just an hour north of Chicago in the small town of Wauconda, Illinois (Wauconda Forever!), Fidelitone Inc. is technically the same company that Arthur J. Olsen started way back in 1929,
Bambino Products Co., est. 1933
Museum Artifact: Bambino World’s Fair Baseball Board Game, 1933
Made By: The Bambino Products Co., 103-105 S. Jefferson St., Chicago, IL
George Herman “Babe” Ruth—the Great Bambino—was arguably the most famous person in the United States in 1933. Even in the twilight of his baseball career, at age 38, he was literally and figuratively a larger-than-life character; a celebrity as much as a sportsman.
Schutter Candy Co., est. 1914
Museum Artifact: Bit-O-Honey Candy Display Box, c. 1940s
Made by: Schutter Candy Company (Schutter-Johnson Candy Co.), 1013 N. Cicero Ave.
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Sun Electric Corporation, est. 1931
Museum Artifact: Sun Volts-Ignition Tester + Sun 504 Distributor Tester Sign, c. 1960s
Made By: Sun Electric Corporation, 6323 N. Avondale Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Gold Eagle Products Co., est. 1932
Museum Artifact: Gold Eagle Radiator Seal, c. 1940s
Made By: Gold Eagle Products Co., 1050 W. Kinzie Street, Chicago, IL
In the early 1990s, when a lot of Chicago’s remaining “mom and pop” manufacturing businesses were reluctantly cashing in their chips, the family-owned Gold Eagle Company was bucking the trends—50% annual revenue growth, to be specific, with tailwinds into the 21st century.
Jensen MFG Co., est. 1927
Museum Artifact: Jensen Alnico Tweeters / Treble Speakers, 1962
Made By: Jensen Manufacturing Company, 6601 S. Laramie Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
American Licorice Co., est. 1914
Museum Artifact: Candy Cigarettes – Penny Package Wrapper, c. 1920s
Made By: American Licorice Company, 2321 N. Keystone Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Princess Pat, Ltd., est. 1907
Museum Artifact: Princess Pat Duo-Tone Rouge, c. 1931
Made By: Princess Pat, Ltd., 2709 South Wells Street, Chicago, IL
“She is exquisite, this woman of today. She is frank—too vivid and intense for pretense. She revels in luxury . . . Color, line, softness, she perceives and strives for. She does not fear her mirror.” —excerpt from Princess Pat sales booklet,