About the Collection

This collection of artworks, selected over the past twenty years by Bernard Friedman, represents the artistic culture of Chicago from the 1920s to the 1940s. It was a culture graced with the iconoclastic liberty that life in the modern city afforded. Many of the artists in this collection were immigrants—Greeks, Italians, Jews, Poles, Russians, Spaniards, and Swedes. In Chicago they found a unique opportunity for artistic expression in a city revitalized through modernism. Yet they didn’t simply depict this revitalization—they helped shape it.

Selected Bibliography

Browse the Collection

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  Gertrude Abercrombie, The Ivory Tower
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  Gertrude Abercrombie, The Queen
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  Gertrude Abercrombie, Untitled (Ballet for Owl)
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  Gertrude Abercrombie, Untitled (Lighthouse, Whale and Black Sea)
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  Ivan Albright, Self-Portrait at 55 East Division Street
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  Anthony Angarola, Bench Lizards
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  Anthony Angarola, Judas
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  Rifka Angel, Art Appreciation
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  Rifka Angel, Harvest Dance
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  Emil Armin, Fairyland
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  Emil Armin, Untitled (Newspaper Collection)
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  Florence Arquin, Untitled (Still life)
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  Frances Badger, Celery Pickers #1
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  Belle Goldschlager Baranceanu, The Bobs, Riverview Park
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  Macena Barton, Self-Portrait
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  David Bekker, Letter from the Old Country
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  David Bekker, Letter to the New Country
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  Rainey Bennett, Untitled (Abstract landscape)
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  Tressa Pond Emerson Benson, Cash and Carry on Sixty-Third Street
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  Vera Berdich, Things to Be Remembered
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  Vera Berdich, View Through Distorting Spectacles
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  Bernece Berkman, Jews Fleeing War
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  Bernece Berkman, Untitled (Man in the city)
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  Charles Biesel, Tug Boats
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  Charles Biesel, White House in Furnessville
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  Fred Biesel, The Woods (Portrait of Frances Strain)
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  Fred Biesel, Untitled (Landscape)
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  The Birobidjan Folio, A Gift to Birobidjan
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  Kathleen Blackshear, Girl’s Head
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  Aaron Bohrod, Artist in Her Room
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  Aaron Bohrod, Burlesque at the Rialto
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  Aaron Bohrod, Street in Oklahoma
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  Aaron Bohrod, The Courthouse Lobby
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  Raymond Breinin, End of the Street
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  Edgar Britton, Untitled (Mural study)
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  Edgar Britton, Untitled (Mural study, picnic in the park)
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  Fritzi Brod, Untitled (Portrait of a woman)
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  Fritzi Brod, Untitled (Woman with birds)
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  Charles Francis Browne, Autumn Landscape
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  Claude Buck, Labor
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  Copeland Burg, Chicago Scene (Pilsen or Heart of Chicago Neighborhood)
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  Francis Chapin, White Tower
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  Alson Skinner Clark, Wells Street Bridge and Northwestern Station
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  Eleanor Coen, The Sea Wall
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  Eleanor Coen, Untitled (River view)
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  Gustaf Dalstrom, The Bridges, South Pond (Lincoln Park)
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  Gustaf Dalstrom, Untitled (Spring dance)
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  Gustaf Dalstrom, Untitled (Watering hole)
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  Julio De Diego, Janitor or Critic?
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  Julio De Diego, Meditation over Inexplicable Logic
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  Walter Ellison, Old Policy Wheel
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  Richard Florsheim, Harbor Light
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  Evelyn Fort, Untitled (Mending)
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  Frances Foy, Untitled (Street view)
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  Rowena Fry, Untitled (Tilly)
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  Leon Garland, Untitled
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  Todros Geller, God’s Shadows
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  Todros Geller, South of Chicago
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  Todros Geller, Untitled (Two men)
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  Todros Geller, Yiddish Motifs
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  Irean E. Gordon, Women Washing Clothes
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  Frederic Grant, Telephone Poles
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  Samuel Greenburg, A Breath of Air
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  Samuel Greenburg, Chassidic Dancers
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  Samuel Greenburg, River Scene
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  Samuel Greenburg, Spring in Grant Park
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  Louis Grell, Man and Planets
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  Davenport Griffen, Serenade
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  Oskar Gross, Maxwell Street Market
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  Hazel Hannell, Boy with Dog
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  Vinol Hannell, Hot Stove Club
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  Vinol Hannell, The Chef
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  Vinol Hannell, Untitled (Procession)
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  Helen West Heller, Noise
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  Helen West Heller, Reforestation
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  Helen West Heller, Silence
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  Helen West Heller, Untitled (Building on the Beach at Night)
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  Natalie Henry, Courting
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  Natalie Henry, Rowena Washing Her Hair
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  Samuel Himmelfarb, Commuters
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  Samuel Himmelfarb, Road House
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  Carl Hoeckner, Must
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  Carl Hoeckner, The Jazz Age
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  Carl Hoeckner, The Mob
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  Carl Hoeckner, The Yes Machine
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  Margo Hoff, Untitled (Desert road)
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  Rudolph Ingerle, Fountain and Searchlights, Century of Progress
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  William Jacobs, Chicago
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  William Jacobs, Untitled (Man with cello)
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  George Josimovich, Street Car, Interior
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  George Josimovich, Untitled (Factory on the river)
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  A. Raymond Katz, Chicago Street Scene
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  A. Raymond Katz, Untitled (Radio performer)
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  Paul Kelpe, Self-Portrait
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  Paul Kelpe, Untitled (Abstract)
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  Lucile Leighton, Untitled (City street)
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  Beatrice Levy, Delivery in Old Town
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  Beatrice Levy, Orchestra Hall
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  Beatrice Levy, Untitled
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  Norman MacLeish, Santa Barbara, City by the Sea
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  Sam Malmberg, Lakefront Bathers
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  David Stone Martin, Untitled (Logger)
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  Herman Menzel, Bridges, South Chicago
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  Herman Menzel, Untitled (Smelt fishing)
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  Edgar Miller, Untitled (Face of a man)
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  Edgar Miller, Untitled (Man with hat in profile)
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  Edgar Miller, Untitled (Man with hat)
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  Edgar Miller, Untitled (Old man at counter and another face)
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  Edward Millman, Prairie Still Life
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  Harry Mintz, Self-Portrait
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  Minnie Harms Neebe, Waukegan
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  Dale Nichols, Untitled (Astrological sky)
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  Harold Noecker, Angular Landscape
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  Harold Noecker, The Genius…?
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  Gregory Orloff, Musicians at Century of Progress
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  Gregory Orloff, Solitude
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  Gregory Orloff, Spring Song
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  N. C. Paulsen, Untitled (Ships on Lake Michigan)
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  Abraham Pollack, Capture of Samson
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  Abraham Pollack, Revolt in Paradise
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  Tunis Ponsen, Winter Streets, Chicago
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  Molly Potkin, Saturday Night No Date
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  Molly Potkin, Untitled (Party scene 2)
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  Fred Rappaport, El Tracks
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  Fred Rappaport, Self Portrait With Chicago Skyline
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  Frederick Remahl, Landscape with Dock and Boater
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  Frederick Remahl, Two Women Two Tall Figures
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  Romolo Roberti, North State Street
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  Romolo Roberti, Untitled (Progress 1934)
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  Iver Rose, Farmer’s Market
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  Walter Rousseff, Fish Camp
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  Edgar Rupprecht, Untitled (Street corner)
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  Flora Schofield, Lincoln Park in Spring
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  William Schwartz, Briggsville, Wisconsin
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  William Schwartz, Family Picnic
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  William Schwartz, Judith
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  William Schwartz, Village Number One
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  Charles Sebree, Untitled (Toy boats)
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  Leopold Segedin, Where will you be when you get where you are going?
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  Henry Simon, City View from Gary
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  Henry Simon, Conquistadores Discover California
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  Mitchell Siporin, Flight by Water
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  Mitchell Siporin, Let America Be America Again
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  Mitchell Siporin, Mexican Fishermen
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  Mitchell Siporin, Sweet Georgia Brown in Arizona
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  Ethel Spears, Ashland Avenue
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  Ethel Spears, Gas Tank
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  Ethel Spears, In the Old Neighborhood
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  Ethel Spears, Market Wagon
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  Ethel Spears, Skating House
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  Ethel Spears, Untitled
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  Ethel Spears, Untitled (Prepare for a Rainy Day)
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  John Stenvall, Home Sweet Home
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  John Stenvall, Untitled (Still life)
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  Frances Strain, Garnett’s First Grade Class at the U of C Lab School
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  Frances Strain, The Visitor (Emil Armin)
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  Frances Strain, Untitled (Le Selecte)
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  Thelma Johnson Streat, Mural Study - The Negro’s Contribution to Medicine and Veterinary Science
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  Thelma Johnson Streat, The Negro in Professional Life - Mural Study featuring Women in the Workplace
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  Stanislaw Szukalski, Lincoln
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  Stanislaw Szukalski, Portrait of Rudolph Weisenborn
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  Julia Thecia, Bird Girl Investigator
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  Julia Thecia, Four Roses
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  Julia Thecia, Four Swimmers
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  Julia Thecia, Girl and Llama
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  Julia Thecia, Girl Looking at the Moon
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  Julia Thecia, Girl on the Flying Trapeze
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  Julia Thecia, Millinery
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  Julia Thecia, People and Planets
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  Julia Thecia, Silver Bell Cabaret
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  Julia Thecia, The Question
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  Julia Thecia, The Red Rope
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  Julia Thecia, Untitled (Self-portrait with paintings)
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  Julia Thecia, Untitled (Women and birds)
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  Julia Thecla, Cave Entrance
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  Julia Thecla, Nudes and Cats Playing in the Sky
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  Julia Thecla, Remembering
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  Morris Topchevsky, Leaflets (Double V)
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  Morris Topchevsky, Lunch Hour
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  Alex Topp, Chicago at Night
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  Alex Topp, Susie Q
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  Adrian Troy, Untitled (Street scene with cutaway interiors)
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  Charles Turzak, Century of Progress
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  Charles Turzak, History of Illinois in Woodcuts
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  Charles Turzak, Man With Drill
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  Charles Turzak, North Bank of the Chicago River
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  Charles Turzak, Work Relief (Chicago Snowstorm)
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  Franklin Van Court, Untitled (Abstract head)
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  Joseph Vavak, Chicago
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  Joseph Vavak, First Defense
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  Rudolph Weisenborn, Untitled (Self-portrait)
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  Robert White, Untitled (Study for Memorial Day Massacre)