Portrait of Arthur Deeming and Bruce Cheadle - CARLI Digital Collection Featured Image

Bruce Cheadle spent the entirety of his 93 years in Lockport, Illinois. In a life that spanned almost the entire 20th century, Cheadle was undoubtedly witness to monumental changes in the Will County city that was once home to the headquarters of the Illinois and Michigan canal, a civic and commercial anchor of the community that was closed in 1933. Cheadle played an important role in Lockport's transition from canal town into a Chicago suburb known for its historic downtown, parks, and the Illinois and Michigan National Heritage Corridor, which runs along the route of the former canal. This photo depocts Bruce at age three, along with his grandfather, Arthur Deeming.

My attention was first drawn to little Bruce's frilly shirt and the resigned, glum look on his face, which shows that the enthusiasm of most kids for dressing up on picture day hasn't changed. On closer inspection, though, I was struck the tender smile on Arthur Deeming's face. At a time when studio portraits were so often highly composed and stern, this small slice of familial warmth is a nice change of pace. The Bruce Cheadle papers features plenty of serious-looking people posing at the turn of the century, and someone, especially an elderly man, was willing to pose in this fashion, really makes the picture stand out.

Written by Adam Strohm, Digital Initiatives Librarian, Illinois Institute of Technology

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