Sunday, December 1, 2019

December 1, 1891 -- World's Columbian Exposition Makes First Art Institute Move


December 1, 1891 – The World’s Columbian Exposition formally assumes possession of the Inter-State Industrial Exposition Building, the impressive building that sits on the lot where the Art Institute of Chicago stands today.  The move makes way for progress on the building of the new art museum although there is still no guarantee that the new building will be constructed.  The move also leaves the Academy of Sciences without a place for its collection, which has been held in the Exposition building since 1875.  The University of Chicago has offered space for the academy on its campus, but the directors of the Academy of Sciences have rejected the offer, saying that it will take the specimens too far from the center of the city.  The above photo shows the Inter-State Industrial Exposition Building and Michigan Avenue in 1890.


December 1, 1942 – The Chicago Daily Tribune reports that its owner, Colonel Robert R. McCormick, has given the Art Institute of Chicago “nine distinguished examples of the French modern school, paintings which are part of his well known collection.” [Chicago Daily Tribune, December 1, 1942] The most important of the paintings is Cezanne’s “The Bathers.” The collection also includes a Degas, “Two Dancers,” and Dufy’s “Nice.”  Daniel Catton Rich, the director of fine arts at the museum, says, “Col. McCormick’s gift is of great importance to the Art Institute.  The splendid Cezanne is one of the painter’s extremely rare figure compositions and fills a niche left vacant so far in the museum where Cezanne’s representation has been limited to landscape and still life. Due to the generosity of collectors of modern painting like Mrs. Potter Palmer, Mrs. L. L. Coburn, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Worcester and Col. McCormick, Chicago’s art museum now leads the world in great French painting of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”

digital.library.unt.edu
December 1, 1945 – Brigadier General John T. Florence announces that Fort Sheridan has achieved a remarkable goal, processing 200,000 soldiers on their way home from wartime service at its separation center.  Master Sergeant Trudee J. Melsack, who says she will apply “at once” [Chicago Daily Tribune, December 2, 1945] for overseas service with the state department, is number 200,000.  In November of 1945 the fort processed 41,239 men and women leaving the service. On the last day of that month 1,678 went through the separation process at the post.  As the end of World War II became more certain, the United States War Department instituted the Adjusted Service Rating Score, basically a point system that determined when a member of the armed forces would be released from duty.  Initially, an enlisted man needed a total of 85 points to be considered.  He or she earned one point each for every month of service, another point for each month served overseas, five points for each combat award he or she earned, and 12 points for each dependent child under the age of 18.  On this date in 1945 those totals were revised upward to stem the tide of experienced military personnel, especially in the officers’ corps, who were leaving the service.  After this date officers would need 70 points plus four years of service to be considered for demobilization.

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