Event—Exhibition

Wheels

What happens when you search "wheels" in the Newberry collections? The answer may surprise you!

"Don't Clog the Wheels," 1939

Set your "wheels in motion" with this exhibition that showcased the diversity of the Newberry's collections.

What happens when you search for “wheels” in the Newberry’s catalogs? From the literal to the metaphorical, postcards to pamphlets, the wheel appears throughout the library’s holdings in a variety of formats, genres, and time periods.

Discover the surprising depth and breadth of our collections through this exhibition on the functional, uncomplicated, and expressive wheel.

Wheels was curated by Jo Ellen McKillop Dickie, Reference Services Librarian and Selector for Reference.

Rodriguez Team, Chicago, 1987. Chicago Reader Photographs: News Collections. Call number: Midwest MS Chicago Reader PN (box 25, folder 1193)

Chicago Railroad Fair: Official Guidebook, 1949. Call number: Case folio TF23.C45 1949

Calendar Wheel, Mexico, ca. 1778-1830. Edward E. Ayer Collection. Call number: VAULT oversize Ayer MS 1905

Wheel of Fortune: There’s an Old Spinning Wheel in Nevada. Boulder City: Boulder Dam Service Bureau, 1940. Curt Teich Postcard Archives Collection. Call number: Midwest MS Teich Co. OB-H517

Digital Resources

  • A Wheel of Time - In this blog post, you’ll find more information on a depiction of a Mexican calendar wheel, which was featured in the exhibition.
  • Saving Ferris – One of the prominent items featured in this exhibition was a postcard display rack, which you can learn more about in this blog post.
  • A Mini World’s Fair – In this blog post, curator Jo Ellen McKillop Dickie wrote about the Chicago Railroad fair, of which an official guidebook was featured in Wheels.

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