Lincoln Park

Take a walk through Chicago’s outdoor Sanctuary Hall.

This unusual Chicago novelty was patented in 1887 by J.S. Philstrom and published locally; sold originally for the price of 50 cents (seen faintly on the front cover). A small peephole nearby allows the ‘reader’ to pull the back cover away to unveil a series of five beautifully illustrated scenes representing a leisurely stroll through Lincoln Park.

The idyllic experience is surrounded by greenery and filled with well-dressed visitors enjoying a fine, sunny day. Statues celebrating Abraham Lincoln, Joseph Schiller, Carl von Lenne, and the Ottawa Nation adorn each side of the path, which culminates with the majestic Ulysses S. Grant Monument. The monument and most of the depicted statues were not yet finished by the copyright year, hinting at a somewhat later date of publication. Abraham Lincoln: The Man was installed in 1887, perhaps prompting Philstrom to trademark his whimsical idea. However, the statue of Robert Cavelier de La Salle seen on the back cover was not completed until 1889, with the Grant Monument and Linne statue to follow in 1891.

Though sold inexpensively and appealing to a mass (albeit upper-middle class) market, the ephemeral piece is apparently a scarce survivor. It is listed only once in WorldCat, at the Victoria and Albert Museum. This is the only other example of Philstrom’s work I can find online, though he produced a similar and unrecorded peephole book (copyrighted the same year) titled ‘Christ Before Pilate.’

Sources: OCLC# 1284805036; Smithsonian Insitute; Lincoln Park Conservancy;