The Made-in-Chicago Museum, is a thoroughly unsolicited historical research project focused on collecting, documenting, and celebrating the “everyday objects” produced during Chicago’s 20th century industrial heyday. What started out as a small collection of rusty metal knick-knacks has since evolved into a website focused on the histories of Chicago manufacturers. There are over 300 industrial antiques and vintage wares on display here so far—all of them dating from 1900 to 1970, and all of them, Made in Chicago. ​From old advertising tins to tools, toy trains, telephones, and typewriters, each product included in the Made-In-Chicago Museum provides a rabbit hole to its own unique little origin story—complete with the innovators, immigrants, entrepreneurs, and working stiffs who delivered it to the world. Start weaving the various company histories together, and you gradually get a better sense of the city of Chicago itself, and how it became one of the manufacturing capitals of the world. - Andrew Clayman / Made-in-Chicago Museum
