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Costume and Textile Gallery
Bertha Honoré Palmer
May 23, 2009 through January 4, 2010
Bertha Palmer reigned as the queen of Chicago society, but her influence was known around the world. For the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, she enlisted the support of foreign queens to erect a Woman’s Building. As a civic booster, she bought modern art directly from artists and donated it to the Art Institute of Chicago. She was a champion of her fledgling city and the epitome of a grande dame. On the anniversary of Palmer’s 160th birthday, the Museum presents a selection of her personal effects to honor one of the most significant figures in late 19th-century Chicago.