Winnetkans have displayed talents in a number of different creative arenas with much success. Learn about these featured writers, arists and inventors below.
Featured Writers
Caroline Thomas Harnsberger, c. 1955.
William Clement Stone, c. 1960.
Henry Demarest Lloyd, c. 1900s.
Few Winnetka writers have published as many books as Caroline Thomas Harnsberger. While Everyone’s Mark Twain helped her gain national success, she is perhaps best known locally as the author of Winnetka: The Biography of a Village.
Everyone’s Mark Twain by Caroline Thomas Harnsberger, first published in 1972.
William Clement Stone was a prominent businessman, philanthropist, and author. He wrote several self-help books emphasizing the need for a “positive mental attitude” for success. Stone’s books contain several well-known and oft-used motivational quotes such as, “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” These helped solidify his legacy as a talented writer.
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and William Clement Stone, first published in 1959.
Henry Demarest Lloyd was a well-known writer and reform advocate in the late 19th century whose theories on democratic self-governance and social welfare left a lasting mark on Winnetka’s village structure and civic life. Lloyd wrote several books, including Wealth Against Commonwealth, in his third floor study at his home at 830 Sheridan Road.
Wealth Against Commonwealth by Henry Demarest Lloyd, first published in 1894.
Featured Artists
Pauline Dohn Rudolph, c. 1925.
Willa and Herman Menzel, undated.
Anita Willets-Burnham, undated.
Pauline Dohn Rudolph started her artistic career as a student at the Art Institute of Chicago at age 13. Her work was later shown in various important exhibitions, including the Fine Arts Palace at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Two of her pieces are housed in the Winnetka Historical Society’s archives.
A Village Belle by Pauline Dohn Rudolph, 1899. Credit: M. Christine Schwartz Collection.
Willa and Herman Menzel of 270 Scott Avenue both found success in the art world. Willa took her talents to corporate America, working as an art director for Marshall Field & Company. Herman focused on art and became known as an important regionalist painter.
The White Horse by Herman Menzel, 1929. Credit: Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Anita Willets-Burnham was an exceptional artist and inventor who studied, taught, and exhibited at several notable galleries, including the Art Institute of Chicago. In the 1920s, she invented the first known rolling suitcase. Examples of her work and her wheeled suitcase are on display at the Schmidt-Burnham Log House, her longtime home which is owned and preserved by the Winnetka Historical Society.
Our Log House by Anita Willets-Burnham, 1917.
In 1920, Winnetka resident Sebastian Hinton designed the first jungle gym, which was patented in 1923. It was first installed at the Horace Mann School before being moved to Crow Island School in 1940. It is now part of the Winnetka Historical Society’s (WHS) collections.
While many recognize long-time Winnetkan John Nash Ott as a pioneer of time-lapse photography, he was also an accomplished cinematographer and television personality who worked for several major studios, including NBC and the Walt Disney Company.
In 1868, Sanford S. Burr (namesake of Burr Avenue) received a patent for the Burr Parlour Folding Bed, likely the first folding bed invented in the United States. That same year, Burr created a tabletop prototype to show prospective buyers, which is now part of the Winnetka Historical Society’s collections.
The original jungle gym at Horace Mann School, c. 1933.
John Nash Ott, undated.
Patent for the Burr Parlour Folding Bed, 1868.