Robert W. Krueger Photograph Collection
Scope and Contents
The Robert W. Krueger Photograph Collection consists mostly of hundreds of black and white photographs of the North Side of Chicago taken by Kruger during his partnership with Chicago Public Library. Most of the images depict the Lincoln Square and Lake View community areas, but there are some images of other areas of the North Side. The largest portion of the collection is the Businesses series, which includes local service providers, stores, theaters, and restaurants. The collection also contains a large number of street scenes, which include buildings, storefronts, construction work, and train tracks; and residences. There are smaller numbers of images of parks, libraries, municipal agencies, hospitals, schools, cemeteries, religious institutions, community events, and people.
As noted in the inventory, some of the photographs have corresponding negatives, and for a few images there is only a negative. The collection also includes a few sets of color slides, and a few photograms that Krueger created.
In addition to the images taken as part of his partnership with Chicago Public Library, the Krueger Photograph Collection also contains a small number of Robert Krueger’s personal and family photographs, and one Krueger family painting. These images have all been placed in the “Krueger Family Photographs” series. Unlike the other photographs in the collection, these images were not taken by Krueger, and the photographers are mostly unknown.
Dates
- 1886 - 2003
- Majority of material found within 1984 - 2003
Creator
- Krueger, Robert W., 1925-2019 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection.
Biographical / Historical
Robert William Krueger was born on November 17, 1925 to Marie (Wahl) Krueger and Henry C. Krueger. He was a lifelong resident of the North Side of Chicago, with the exception of the years he spent in the Army during World War II and his college years at the University of California Berkeley. He married Marion Grace Pfeiffer in 1957 and worked for Illinois Bell Telephone Company for many years before retiring in 1983. In 1984 he began working with Chicago Public Library to document the neighborhoods and people of the North Side. The project continued through the early 2000s and produced hundreds of images. Robert W. Krueger died in September 2019 at age 94.
Extent
5 Linear Feet (includes 1057 photographs, 271 negatives, 158 slides, and 1 painting)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
From 1984 to 2003, photographer Robert Krueger worked with Chicago Public Library to document the neighborhoods and people of the North Side. This collection contains the hundreds of photographs he produced, including images of street scenes, parks, businesses, houses, schools, cemeteries, religious institutions, and community events.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in 16 series:
Series 1: Businesses, circa 1960s-2002
Series 2: Cemeteries, 1985-2002
Series 3: Clubs and Organizations, 1985-1991
Series 4: Hospitals, 1991-2002
Series 5: Krueger Family Photographs, 1886-1985
Series 6: Libraries, 1989-1994
Series 7: Municipal Agencies, 1985-2000
Series 8: Parks, 1985-2002
Series 9: Photograms, 1984
Series 10: Portraits, 1945-circa 1996
Series 11: Religious Institutions, 1986-2001
Series 12: Residences, 1985-2002
Series 13: Schools, 1985-1991
Series 14: Special Events, 1967-1989
Series 15: Street Scenes, circa 1960s-2003
Series 16: Transportation, 1987-1988
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Robert W. Krueger.
Existence and Location of Copies
Select photographs from this collection are available in the Library's Robert W. Krueger Photograph Digital Collection.
- Cemeteries -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Community life -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Illinois -- Chicago -- Lakeview Subject Source: Local sources
- Illinois -- Chicago -- Lincoln Square Subject Source: Local sources
- Lakeview (Chicago, Ill.) -- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Lincoln Square (Chicago, Ill.) -- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Photographs. Subject Source: Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms
- Restaurants -- Illinois -- Chicago -- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Uptown (Chicago, Ill.) -- Photographs Subject Source: Local sources
- Title
- Guide to the Robert W. Krueger Photograph Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Becky Haglund. Additional material added, updated, and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Allyson Smally, 2022.
- Date
- 1986
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Northside Neighborhood History Collection Repository
Sulzer Regional Library
Chicago Public Library
4455 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago IL 60625 United States
(312) 742-4455
northsidehistory@chipublib.org