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A Proud Lifetime Chicagoan Family Celebrates The City
Decorative commemorative poster, celebrating the history of Chicago.
The central image is a section of James Palmatary's rare birdseye view of Chicago, published in 1857.
The poster was apparently prepared as a Christmas card for Dorothy and Graham Aldis. We suspect the occasion for preparing the poster was the 100 year anniversary of
Graham Aldis (1895-1966), a Chicago-born Harvard graduate and World War I veteran, was a prominent figure in the fields of real estate and civic engagement. He earned his A.B. degree in 1916 and an A.M. degree in 1917 from Harvard University. Aldis served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army during World War I from 1917 to 1919. In 1922, he married Dorothy Keeley, and the couple settled in Lake Forest, Illinois, raising three daughters and a son.
Professionally, Aldis joined Aldis and Co. (the real estate firm founded by his father Arthur Taylor Aldis in 1895), in 1919 and became a partner in 1922. His expertise was centered on the management, renting, and appraisal of central properties and office buildings. His civic involvement included roles in the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, the Chicago Association of Building Managers, the Civic Federation of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Housing Council.
Aldis was deeply invested in various social causes, including the education of underprivileged boys, support for talented artists and sculptors, and active involvement with organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Chicago Urban League, and the National Conservation Association. He also contributed to the American Red Cross and World War I relief commissions.
In 1941, during World War II, Aldis returned to military service, initially as the Army real estate director for Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He later served in Iceland and the United Kingdom with the War Department and on the General Staff Corps of the United States Army, concluding his service in 1945. Post-war, Aldis resumed his role in real estate and continued his active participation in various civic organizations.
The dating of the poster is an educated guess.
A marvelous cartographic, celebrating Chicago civic pride.
