(Click for Chris Ware's poster key)
Oak Park resident Chris Ware, a noted artist and cartoonist, has created two original works of art to benefit The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest.
Ware, who created the graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth and cover art for The New Yorker, has created separate but interconnected posters featuring a Prairie-style home located in each of the villages of Oak Park and River Forest.
According to Chris, "The 'concept' of the posters was to use the size and shape of the shared "O" in each logo as a sort of portal to another time around an architectural landmark specific to each town--a nod to my cartoonist friend Richard McGuire, who's been working on a book along these lines long before that "Dear Photograph" site ever came into being. “I hope you think this somehow slightly reflects the spirit and mission of a Historical Society -- which is, I think, to help people see things both as they are and as they were, since that's of course what allows people to empathize with others and (hopefully) what gives life meaning.”
Here’s more about the artist’s vision for the posters: “If it's not immediately clear, there are some non-explicit historical details in the images, like Purcell and Elmslie in front of Purcell's house in River Forest, Ernest Hemingway catching a football as a 'tween in front of John Farson's car, someone reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls," Frank Lloyd Wright on the second floor porch of the Heurtley [house] in the 1940s, Philander Barclay, Bowman's Dairy as well as other historic people and events.”
Chris Ware has just published a new book Building Stories, which is available at area bookstores. It features the life stories of the inhabitants of a building.
The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest is proud to offer you the opportunity to own this unique artwork by Chris Ware, renowned graphic novelist and one of Oak Park's own
Poster Pricing (place online orders below)
19 x 26" Poster -- $30 each/ $50 for both
19 x 26” Limited and signed edition -- $125 each/$225 for both
24 x 33.6" Giclee printing on 100% acid free White Hahnemuhle Paper Signed -- $300 each/ $550 for both
NOTE: Tax is included in the prices listed above. $5.00 for postage and handling will be added to each order of up to two posters when shipped within the United States. That charge will be added when a credit card is processed. For large quantity orders or for orders for shipment outside the United States, we will contact you with details on shipping costs.