Chicago has changed a lot since it was incorporated as a city in 1837. Back then, it was home to just over 4,000 residents, compared to the 2,746,388 counted in the 2020 Census with over 9 million in the metro area. Let’s take a look back at Chicago as it was captured on celluloid both 50 and 110 years ago.
1914
The summer of 1914 saw the arrival in Chicago of Roy Knabenshue and his lighter-than-air flying machine. At this point, Knabenshue had been piloting dirigibles for a decade and was renowned as an airship aviator. His dirigible, christened White City, had a gondola to accommodate passengers and he used it to take his customers on a soaring tour of the city. For one of the flights he rented a motion picture camera and hired a camera operator to capture the views and excitement of a Chicago dirigible tour.
Although Knabenshue made this aerial film for his personal use, he recognized that it offered a historically significant snapshot of Chicago and donated it to the National Archives in 1943. In 2017, the Chicago Tribune recreated the dirigible’s route with a helicopter to compare the 21st century landscape with that captured in Knabenshue’s film.
1974
Sixty years after Knabenshue shot his aerial films, camera operators for the United States Information Agency (USIA) captured a street-level view of Chicago. The film depicts various landmarks and presents images of bustling cityscapes. Of course, the newly built Sears Tower is highlighted, but you can also people-watch and see some 1974 style and fashion.
This film is unedited and contains footage as it was filmed that would later be cut together into a finished production. The USIA produced many films about the United States for exhibition around the world. Some examples of released films are Autumn in Cardboard (1968), about the gubernatorial race in California, and Grand Central Market (1963), featuring a historic market in Los Angeles.
We hope you enjoy these time capsules of Chicago as it was!