State Historical Society of Iowa

Perfect Eat Shop in Chicago, Illinois, April 1942

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, Delano, Jack, "In the Perfect Eat Shop, a restaurant on 47th Street near South Park, owned by Mr. E. Norris (Negro). Chicago, Illinois," April 1942

Description

The photograph shows diners eating at a local, African American-owned Chicago restaurant in 1942. Most diners and employees are African American, and several small businesses in this area of Chicago were owned and operated by African Americans who had migrated north during the Great Migration.

Source Dependent Questions

  • Examine the photo carefully and use visual evidence to describe what you see. How would this photo look different if it were taken in the South?
  • This photo was taken at an African American-owned restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. How would seeing an image like this give African Americans wanting to leave the South hope for migrating to Northern cities like Chicago? What visual evidence suggested economic opportunity and social acceptance would be more likely in the North?

Citation Information

Delano, Jack, "In the Perfect Eat Shop, a restaurant on 47th Street near South Park, owned by Mr. E. Norris (Negro). Chicago, Illinois," April 1942. Courtesy of Library of Congress Courtesy of Library of Congress