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, 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, Chicago River off Michigan Boulevard
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  Anthony Angarola, Judas
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  Anthony Angarola, Old South Water Street Market, Chicago
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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, Frisky Day
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  Emil Armin, Morning Light
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  Emil Armin, Mountain Farm, Santa Fe
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  Emil Armin, Tawny Dunes
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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, Elysian Park
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  Belle Goldschlager Baranceanu, The Bobs, Riverview Park
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  Marcena 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, Street Gathering
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  Bernece Berkman, Untitled (Figures with gas mask)
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  Bernece Berkman, Untitled (Harvester Ranks Solid)
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  Bernece Berkman, Untitled (Man in the city)
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  Bernece Berkman, Untitled (Woman in stairwell)
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  Charles Biesel, Fish House in Door County
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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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  Kathleen Blackshear, Untitled (Woman mopping)
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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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  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 (Elegy)
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  Fritzi Brod, Untitled (Portrait of a woman)
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  Fritzi Brod, Untitled (Three women at a table)
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  Fritzi Brod, Untitled (Woman with birds)
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  Charles Francis Browne, Autumn Landscape
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  Charles Francis Browne, The Old Kitchen Eagles Nest, Camp Oregon, Illinois
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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, Sunday in Lincoln Park
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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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  Julio De Diego, Untitled (Portrait of the artist’s wife Gypsy Rose Lee)
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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, Remembered Corner
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  Frances Foy, Untitled (Street view)
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  Rowena Fry, Untitled (Tilly)
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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, Chopper
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  Davenport Griffen, Untitled
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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, Untitled (Procession)
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  Helen West Heller, Doer, Knower, Sayer
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  Helen West Heller, Scherzo #1
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  Helen West Heller, Silence
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  Helen West Heller, The Beach at Cedar Street
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  Natalie Henry, Rowena Washing Her Hair
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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, Market Day
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  William Jacobs, Untitled (Man with cello)
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  William Jacobs, Untitled (Street scene)
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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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  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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  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, MacEvoy
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  Edgar Miller, Untitled (Face of a man)
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  Edgar Miller, Untitled (Figure with hat and crossed hands)
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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, Detail Frescoes St. Louis Post Office
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  Edward Millman, Flop House
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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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  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, 216 Fairview Av., Maplewood, Chicago
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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, Afternoon in the Park
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  Molly Potkin, Halloween
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  Molly Potkin, Saturday Night No Date
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  Molly Potkin, Untitled (Department store window)
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  Molly Potkin, Untitled (Party scene 1)
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  Molly Potkin, Untitled (Party scene 2)
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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, Peeping Tessies
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  Romolo Roberti, Untitled (Progress 1934)
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  Iver Rose, Farmer’s Market
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  Iver Rose, Fifi Takes a Walk
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  Iver Rose, Night Brigade
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  Walter Rousseff, Fish Camp
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  Edgar Rupprecht, Untitled (Street corner)
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  William Schwartz, Briggsville, Wisconson
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  William Schwartz, Family Picnic
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  William Schwartz, Gas Factory, Chicago
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  William Schwartz, Judith
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  William Schwartz, Mural Study (For Pittsfield, IL Post Office)
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  William Schwartz, Village Number One
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  Charles Sebree, Untitled (Toy boats)
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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, Untitled (Fisherman and His Wife)
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  Ethel Spears, Ashland Avenue
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  Ethel Spears, Diner
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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, The Art Class
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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, Portrait of Lars Dalstrom
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  Frances Strain, The Visitor (Emil Armin)
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  Frances Strain, Untitled (Le Selecte)
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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 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 Red Rope
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  Julia Thecia, Untitled (Girl with head in hands)
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  Julia Thecia, Untitled (Girl with nest egg)
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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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  Morris Topchevsky, Election Returns
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  Morris Topchevsky, Leaflets (Double V)
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  Morris Topchevsky, Lunch Hour
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  Morris Topchevsky, Strike Against Wage Cuts
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  Alex Topp, Chicago at Night
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  Alex Topp, Susie Q
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  Charles Turzak, Buckingham Fountain
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  Charles Turzak, Century of Progress
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  Charles Turzak, Ghetto
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  Charles Turzak, History of Illinois in Woodcuts
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  Charles Turzak, Lincoln Park
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  Charles Turzak, North Bank of the Chicago River
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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)