C H I C A G O
T R I B U T E
Home
List of markers
Location map
Nominations
Contact
Acknowledgments
Bertha Honore (18491918) and Potter Palmer (18261902) Philanthropists and entrepreneurs
The 1870 marriage of Bertha Honore and Potter Palmer united two of the wealthiest and most influential families of 19th century Chicago. Both were strong-willed individualists who used their economic power and social positions to carry out their personal visions.
Potter Palmers contributions to Chicago were aggressively entrepreneurial. In 1852, he opened a high-quality dry-goods store that later became the famed Marshall Fields department store. After retiring from the dry-goods business in 1865, he speculated in Chicago real estate and was singularly responsible for establishing State Street as Chicagos principal retail thoroughfare. Rebuilt three times, the Palmer House hotel has been a landmark for more than 125 years.
Bertha Honore Palmer leveraged her position as a respected leader of Chicago society to advance reform and feminist causes. She was a strong advocate of womens rights and actively worked to have the diverse achievements of women fully represented at the 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition. Mrs. Palmer also was an astute art collector and many of the Art Institutes Impressionist paintings once were part of her personal collection.