Portrait of Marian Deering McCormick 1893 - 1894

This is a photograph of Marian Deering McCormick, made by an anonymous photographer, and now held at the Art Institute of Chicago. Marian was the daughter of a prominent Chicago family, part of the elite circle that would go on to support the museum itself. The image is a window into the culture of childhood at the turn of the century. Marian's pose, slightly off-center and casually leaning, offers a glimpse of both the formality and the emerging informality of the era. The striped dress and the soft curls suggest a carefully constructed image of innocence and privilege. To understand this image more fully, we might delve into the archives of the McCormick family, examining their role in the development of Chicago's institutions. We could research the history of child portraiture and the changing ideals of childhood. Ultimately, the meaning of this photograph lies in its connection to a specific time and place, and the social structures that shaped it.