Шведский музей в Чикаго открывает выставку, посвященную 50-летию учреждения и истории иммиграции

The history of the Swedish community is long—Swedish immigrants were among the populations to come to Chicago in large numbers seeking work and opportunity. Most began their life here in a near-north area that came to be known as Swede Town, but were driven further north, into what is Andersonville today, after the Great Chicago Fire. By the early 1800s, the area was distinctly Swedish, having Swedish churches, a Swedish language newspaper, bakeries and restaurants as well as other Swedish businesses, primarily along Clark Street, which became the center of activity. Swedish traditions were honored and Swedish was spoken in many of the businesses. By the 1950s and 1960s, more city residents moved to the suburbs, and the founding fathers of Andersonville gathered to discuss the creation of a space to honor Swedish heritage in Chicago. Thus the Swedish Museum was born in 1976, after stalling due to lack of space and funding. It began modestly as a tiny space rented for $225 a month. An impending visit from the king of Sweden, King Carl XVI Gustaf, sped things up and on April 18, 1976, the king himself officiated the opening. The museum quickly outgrew its space, and in 1988, the king returned to Chicago to dedicate the new museum where it stands today. The modest show at the museum is fascinating in its tracing of the museum’s history, and contains artifacts from the original museum. There are many didactic panels that tell the community’s history in the city and objects that visually enrich the telling. Four nineteenth-century tapestries in particular are not only beautiful but give insight into the excellence of Swedish craftsmanship. Male and female mannequins dressed in traditional Swedish national costume honor the past, and a third dressed in a white gown and red sash pays tribute to the holiday tradition of Santa Lucia. Two vitrines are filled with items meaningful to the Swedish way of life in the past, including a crayfish cleverly woven of straw, a pair of handmade baby christening shoes, a modern Kosta Boda glass plate with the design of a bird on a green field and carved wooden objects. A table with fine wood inlay work displays two dolls in traditional costume on a hand-crocheted and -stitched doily. Beneath the table is a hand-hooked rug on which rest a pair of wooden clogs, the footwear of choice for early Swedish settlers. Several maps strung with thread throughout the exhibition show the trajectory of immigrants from Sweden to the United States. In a time when museums are under strain to stay open, it’s encouraging to see one whose support in its community will guarantee its next fifty years. “Fifty Years at the Swedish American Museum: Honoring Our Roots, Cultivating Tomorrow” at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 North Clark, through November 29.