
City - Chicago, IL - Novelties and Jeweler 1868 - Side by Side

by Mike Savad
Title
City - Chicago, IL - Novelties and Jeweler 1868 - Side by Side
Artist
Mike Savad
Medium
Photograph - Colorized Photo
Description
Hand colored photo from between 1868
Original title: View from dome of City Hall, looking N.E
Photographer: Copelin & Melander
Location: Randolph & Clark, Chicago, IL
This is one side of a stereoscope image, they gave a long range of 1860-1920 for the range. But seeing that everything you see here burned down during the great fire of 1861, and the museum and jeweler both opened in 1865, and there seems to be an established business in the basement its probably a few years after it opened. 1868 is just a guess here, I tried looking up other businesses, but couldn't find it. I'm not sure what those stripes are on that building, but its on both roof's in a few pictures. I assume it had an elegant understated look, and not a fun house look, but who really knows?
I made the streets Chicago Paver pink, I also made it dirt brown, because I'm not exactly sure what they used there, it could even be wood, its really hard to tell.
This was a part of a stereoscope image, they gave an age range from 1860 to 1920,. but since this is the first version of that museum and it was opened in 1865, and everything burned down in 1871, it was between these dates. i'm guessing its like 1868 as the buildings look worn in spots.
Col Woods museum, had a long history of burning down. The museum was founded in 1864, he had a great number of unusual finds (he was very similar to Barnum's museum). He had a sixty cases of birds, sheets of papyri that had once belonged to Joseph Smith (founder of the Latter Day saints movement), a pair of mummies, assorted reptiles, a panorama of London, many model ships, paintings of Indians, a rifle owned by Daniel Boone, a scale model of the Parthenon, the "Great Zeuglodon" (which was a 96 foot long skeleton of a Basilosaurus, and more, and all for just 25 cents ($4.80 in today's money).
Then it burned down in 1871 during the great fire, this entire area was destroyed. So he rebuilt it and opened in 1875, with all new exhibits. Then it burned down again. Then he opened it again in 1884, he ran that one out of the Olympia Theatre Building, which he leased, there was a restaurant on the main floor, and the rest of the building was filled with novelties. There was no information how long the final museum lasted, or if it burned down also.
A.H. Miller Jeweler (Abner Halsey), was housed in the McCarthy building. Built in 1865, using mostly marble. There were entrances on both sides, and they had a large showroom of items they made. The interior resembled the elegance of a fine resort. With large doors and windows and a lot of glass. They had huge showcases, standing at 6ft x 8ft in a single sheet of glass, 31in deep framed in plated metal and marble they were the largest cases in America. They had solid carved walnut tables, all kinds of marble decorations, it was a museum in itself. They sold all sorts of jewelry, and silverware.
It was said that as the fire spread across the city, people saw embers land in the awnings, there it sat in the folds of the cloth holding the flame in place, and allowed the flames to really take hold and burn the building down.
Uploaded
August 1st, 2023
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