Archiving Historic Photos in Chicago
Here is an archivist’s dream story how the Chicago History Museum preserved millions of pictures.
Excerpt:
Until then, the location and condition of the newspaper’s photo archive had been a mystery — owners and employees of the Sun-Times were unaware the negatives were sitting in a storage facility about 100 miles west of Chicago.
The millions of images captured iconic moments. There was the back-to-school Bud Billiken Parade in 1953. Elvis Presley performing at the Chicago Stadium in 1972. Mayor Harold Washington being inaugurated in 1983. Walter Payton playing during the Chicago Bears championship 1985 season.
Details on the “Millions of Moments: The Chicago Sun-Times Photo Collection” exhibition at the Chicago History Museum. “Millions of Moments: The Chicago Sun-Times Photo Collection. From soaring joy to deep grief, beaming pride to livid outrage, the photojournalists of the Chicago Sun-Times captured these emotions and more as they doggedly, and often artfully, documented the city’s breaking news. Their bold images—of sports and entertainment legends, presidents, and everyday Chicagoans—earned the Sun-Times the moniker “Chicago’s Picture Newspaper” during the twentieth century.”
Beyond just photos, 35mm slides hold a rich treasure of nostalgia.
