Black & White Photo - Chicago, Illinois - Figure of I Will

Share

The record names a figure titled "I Will," and the phrase reads as a pledge, so the sculpture or figure was probably meant as an allegory of resolve or commitment. Chicago's late nineteenth and early twentieth century saw a boom in civic and decorative sculpture, as businesses, clubs, and public bodies commissioned figures to stand for ideals and to lend dignity to new buildings and parks. Black-and-white photographs like this one were how many residents and outsiders saw such works, so the image also records how the city presented itself at the time. The record does not identify the maker or exact setting, so the details of the figure's commission and location are worth checking against the original documentation.

More from the Chicago collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.