Chicago Bound, by Sean Vogel,
takes middle-grade readers on a new adventure to find the missing
Mary Cassatt mural, Modern Woman.
Chicago Bound Is Book 2 in the
Three-Book Jake McGreevy Series
Jake’s plan for a carefree holiday at a musical performing arts camp in the Windy City hits a sour note when he stumbles upon a long-hidden message from his late mother, art historian Karen McGreevy. She had traveled to Chicago thirteen years earlier on a dream assignment, never to return home. With his violin and his mother’s mysterious letter in hand, Jake, his best friend Julie, and new pals Ben and Natalie are heading west, where they will follow the clues and uncover the truth about a missing masterpiece, the meaning of friendship, and the enduring bond between a mother and her son.
For Ages 10 and Up
“A rollicking, fun mystery with a young, charismatic hero.”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS
"[A] powerful new Jake McGreevy novel that provides another thriller for middle-grade audiences. . . ."
—MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, DIANE DONOVAN
"Having spent many years searching for Mary Cassatt’s 1893 mural done for Chicago’s World’s Fair, I was delighted to encounter Sean Vogel’s Chicago Bound in which the young Jake and his pals visit the city and discover that Jake’s mother was murdered in her own hunt for the mural. Tracking down the killer, and the Cassatt painting, takes the teenagers on a thrill-packed adventure from the Art Institute of Chicago, to a tea room in Marshall Fields, to the grand finale in, of all places, a retirement home. Chicago Bound is loving and eventful, and most of all a great read."
—SALLY WEBSTER, AUTHOR OF EVE'S DAUGHTER: MODERN WOMAN, A MURAL BY MARY CASSATT
The mystery of the vibrant missing mural, Modern Woman, is solved in Chicago Bound.
But in real life, the mystery continues!
Left Panel: "Young Girls Pursuing Fame"
Center panel:
"Young Women Plucking the Fruits of Science
or Knowledge"
Right Panel: "Art, Music, Dancing"
HERE’S THE STORY
To honor the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage to North America,
Chicago hosted the 1893 Columbian Exposition World’s Fair.
The fair lasted six months (May 1, 1893–October 30, 1893) and its attractions were spread over 630 acres.
There were more than 65,000 exhibits.
Many of the buildings housed important achievements in industry, art, and science.
The Woman’s Building—
dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of women artists, poets, and educators—
was a very popular attraction.
Bertha Honoré Palmer,
wife of real estate mogul Potter Palmer,
was a key figure in the Chicago art world.
She commissioned a massive 64- x 15-foot mural to be painted by the Impressionist Mary Cassatt.
Mary Cassatt’s mural, Modern Woman, was displayed in the Woman's Building.
Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) was an American painter, who lived most of her life in France.
The famous Impressionist group befriended her, making her one of only a few American painters to work with the well-known artists of her time, such as Monet, Renoir, and Degas.
IMPORTANT DATES
October 31, 1893
The World’s Fair closes.
The Cassatt mural is stored in the Palace of Fine Arts.
Today, that building is home to the Museum of Science and Industry.
September 1895
Many art pieces from the fair are moved from the Palace of Fine Arts to the Hiram Sibley warehouse.
Cassatt’s mural is NOT listed on the inventory.
1895 ~ 1911
The Art Institute of Chicago’s Board of Trustees discusses an offer from Bertha Palmer
to exhibit the Mary Cassatt mural:
“Mrs. Potter Palmer surprises me by telling me that she has Miss Cassatt’s decorations
in her possession at her house.”
—William French, Director of the Art Institute of Chicago (1885–1914)
November 1912
• William French finds permanent homes for eight other murals from the World’s Fair.
These works of art are sent to various nearby colleges, including Knox College, University of Michigan,
Beloit College, and the University of Illinois at Champaign.
• John Worden of Notre Dame expresses interest in obtaining the Cassatt
for display at the university.
No further mention of the Cassatt appears in any correspondence.
The mural vanishes.
Help Find the Missing Mural,
Modern Woman!
The Current Theory
To date, the most complete search for the Cassatt is documented in Eve’s Daughter/ Modern Woman: A Mural by Mary Cassatt, by Dr. Sally Webster, Professor of 19th Century American Art at City University of New York.
One of Dr. Webster’s theories is that the Cassatt was given to a college and is either displayed within a building—its true identity unknown—or stored in a collegiate warehouse.
During your search, using the two methods described below, please share your discoveries by posting a note at the bottom of this page. No detail is too small!
The “Walking Around” Method
For those looking for a real-life adventure, searching the university buildings that existed in 1912 should prove to be an entertaining way to spend the afternoon. At best, you’ll solve a more than 100-year-old mystery. At worst, you’ll have gotten to enjoy old architecture and meet interesting people.
The mural was created and hung in adjoining sections. The three-piece mural is, in total, 64 feet x 12 feet. Originally, there was a 3-foot border around the painting. This border may have since been removed.
Due to its massive size, it is plausible that only one section of the mural is being displayed, further masking its true identity.
Please log the locations you've searched and any discoveries you've made by entering the information in the form provided at the bottom of this page. We will then share these locations and findings on this site. Even if you find nothing, reporting that fact will help everyone else focus on other places.
The “Following the People” Method
Listed below are the principal players in this real-life mystery.
Much of the correspondence between the prominent figures was saved and can be found in museum and library collections.
Finding additional letters and journals pointing to the location of the missing Cassatt mural could prove to be an adventure in and of itself.
Existing letters will be on microfiche, filed in their original form as paper documents, or digitized in archival databases. But perhaps researchers have overlooked some vital piece of information in these existing papers. Or maybe a stray letter is hiding in plain sight in someone's attic
or an old journal is tucked within someone's book collection.
The search is on!
• Bertha Palmer
Sponsor of the Woman’s Building,
she commissioned the Mary Cassatt mural.
• William French
Director, Art Institute of Chicago
• Sara Hallowell
An art agent, she assisted Bertha Palmer in acquiring pieces.
• Mary Cassatt
Artist
• Mary Fairchild MacMonnies
Artist (later, Mary Fairchild MacMonnies Low)
• William Low
Painter (Mary Fairchild MacMonnies’s husband)
• Sophie Hayden
Architect of the Woman’s Building
• John Worden
Chair of the Art Department at Notre Dame
• Vincent Bendix
Purchased the Palmer Mansion after Bertha’s death
ART CREDITS
The Mary Cassatt Mural: Reprinted, by permission, from Stanley Appelbaum, Spectacle in the White City:
The Chicago 1893 World’s Fair, p. 82, ©2009 by Calla Editions, an imprint of Dover Publications, Inc.
The Color Sketch: Mary Cassatt, detail of Young Women Plucking the Fruits of Knowledge or Science, center panel of Modern Women, 1893. From William Walton, World's Columbian Exposition Art and Architecture, 3 vols (Philadelphia: George Barrie, 1893), vol on architecture.
The Woman's Building: Reprinted, by permission, from Stanley Appelbaum, Spectacle in the White City: The Chicago 1893 World’s Fair, p. 81, ©2009 by Calla Editions, an imprint of Dover Publications, Inc.
The Palace of Fine Arts: Reprinted, by permission, from Stanley Appelbaum, Spectacle in the White City: The Chicago 1893 World’s Fair, p. 8, ©2009 by Calla Editions, an imprint of Dover Publications, Inc.
Close-up of sketch of the Cassatt Mural: Mary Cassatt, detail of Young Women Plucking the Fruits of Knowledge or Science, center panel of Modern Women, 1893. From William Walton, World's Columbian Exposition Art and Architecture, 3 vols (Philadelphia: George Barrie, 1893), vol on architecture.
Chicago Twilight: A painting by J Loren Reedy
https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/422985
Please be in touch if you have information to share with fellow searchers!
Log the locations you've searched and any discoveries you've made!
Chicago Twilight, painted by J Loren Reedy