|
“I know a Jew fish crier down on
Maxwell Street with a voice like a north wind blowing over
corn stubble in January. . . .His face is that of a man terribly
glad. . .that God made fish, and customers to whom he may
call his wares from a pushcart.” —Carl Sandburg,
from Chicago Poems, 1916
“Maxwell Street preserved
old world culture, whether from the Ukraine, Mexico or Mississippi.
A grassroots avenue for survival got created there for immigrants
and poor people. Its existence, though old and weary, gives
meaning to our daily living and working in Chicago.” —Studs
Terkel, broadcaster, oral historian, & author
“Maxwell
Street became the Ellis Island of the Midwest for 100 years.
Other market streets existed, but Maxwell Street was the
biggest and brassiest, combining a kaleidoscope of races
and religions, of businessmen, hustlers and musicians. It
was a national treasure.” —Ira Berkow, New
York Times columnist & author of Maxwell Street: Survival
in a Bazaar
“Maxwell Street was a shopping and amusement
center. The guys that played [there] in the 1940s, [myself],
Moody Jones, Floyd Jones, Little Walter - we built the road
for the blues in Chicago for Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and
all the rest. We were the pioneers of the blues.” —Jimmie
Lee Robinson, Chicago blues musician
Lori Grove and
Laura Kamedulski are museum professionals, and are on the
Board
of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition. Their
selection of images reflects the rich cultural diversity
that existed on Maxwell Street and at its market. Throughout
its history, Maxwell Street has been one of Chicago’s
most photographed places. Now, the unique character of this
world-renowned marketplace is preserved in the pages of this
book.
|
