Chicago: Classic Photographs

Sweet Home Chicago

Chicago natives and co-authors of many books of photography Richard Cahan and Michael Williams have dug deeply into photographic archives to create their new book, "Classic Chicago: Timeless Photographs of a Changing City" (2017). The work includes over 225 photos taken from about 1905 to 2016. Some of the photographs have become symbolic of Chicago. For example Jonas Doyydenas 1969 picture of a young ironworker on the top of the John Hancock Center looking down on the city far below (p.161) has captured the drive of the city and inspired the authors to find other photos revealing Chicago's character. Other photos showing the life of the city are seen for the first time in this book. Similarly, many of the photographers in this book have become well-known, (There is a photograph taken by a young Stanley Kubrick) while other are obscure, and, for some photos, the photographer is unknown. Each photo is labeled by date, place, and photographer together with the authors' commentary. The authors frequently refer to other photography books on specific subjects covered in this volume, including the blues clubs, the transit system, and skid row. I was often tempted to want to look further. The reproductions are clear and are on glossy photographic paper.

Although I never lived in Chicago I have spent time in the city over the years and have a fascination for American urban life. Many of the photos reminded me of places I have seen and walked during my visits to the city and of my reading in authors such as Saul Bellow, Nelson Algren, James T. Farrell, and others. I loved this book's pictures of historic Chicago with its street cars, large railroad terminals, bustling streets, diverse neighborhoods, and blues nightlife. The photos capture much of the promise and vibrancy of American life together with its problems and its frequent difficulties and sense of loneliness.

The book consists of the authors' introduction followed by ten chapters of photographs. The early chapters give a broad overview of Chicago. The opening chapter, "The Indestructible Masterpiece" shows the crowds and buildings and endless bustle of the Loop over time. The second chapter, "The Great Traveler", shows railroads, cars, street cars, and the people who ride them, with their different faces, goals, and characters. "The Way Home" visits neighborhoods and children, including the neighborhoods of African Americans and the urban poor. The fourth chapter "Mrs.Sartopolis' day off" takes the reader on a quick tour of Chicago nightlife, with brightly lit thoroughfares, dance clubs, and the Chicago Blues. The blues, its clubs, performers, and recording studios, have received many volumes on their own. "On a Day Like This" takes another, closer look at downtown Chicago and at visitors to the city, including Doyydennas' photo of the brave ironworker mentioned earlier.

The chapters in the latter half of the book have narrower themes. Chapter 6 offers a tour of Chicago's lakefront and of the vital role Lake Michigan plays in the city's life. Chapter 7, "Ten-Cent Wedding Rings" offers an all-too-brief look at the storied outdoor market of Maxwell Street which closed in 1994 after more than a century. Chapter 8, "Notes for a Tragedy" looks briefly at Chicago's notorious Skid Row. I had earlier literary familiarity with Skid Row from reading Nelson Algren's novel, "The Man With the Golden Arm." Chapter 9, "Fantastic Lollypops" offers photographs by experimental and avant-garde photographers, while the book's final chapter "Night Diary" could also be titled "Chicago Noir" as it shows the great, mysterious city in shadows and at night. Chicago is an ideal setting for noir.

I loved exploring Chicago in time through the moments captured in the photography of this book. This book will appeal to lovers of Chicago and of American urban life.

Robin Friedman