[Chicago, Ill., Illinois Theatre]

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The Illinois theater, a Chicago playhouse, is the subject of this 8 by 10 inch glass dry plate negative, made sometime between 1890 and 1910. Chicago rebuilt quickly after the Great Fire of 1871, and by the turn of the century its downtown was filling with theaters, hotels, and office towers that drew crowds to the Loop. The Detroit Publishing Company, which issued photographs of American cities and landmarks in these years, produced the view, so it captures the street-level appearance of a commercial entertainment district at a time when such buildings were central to city life. The large glass plate format gives the image a fine level of detail.

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