Charlie and the Essanay movie studio in Chicago.

Charlie Chaplin post card Nr 1 – Essanay studio, Chicago, Illinois

Toronto. The year was 1915. A young actor called Charlie Chaplin spend a few months in the windy city. While there, he recorded a silent movie at the famous Chicago studio named Essanay for its two founders. Thanks to the Made in Chicago Museum, we learn of a part of Chaplin’s story often overlooked by his biographers.

You might ask, “How did I learn about this interesting bit of photographic trivia”? In a word: Dunbar. Yep, my good friend George Dunbar discovered this interesting story on the internet and sent me an email!

Food for thought: Chicago is about the same population as Toronto. We have museums like the famous ROM. Do we have enough things that were made here for a Made inToronto Museum?? Just asking …

This entry was posted in history and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.