This isn’t Kalamazoo history, unless you consider that Kalamazoo is pretty darn close to Chicago. My paternal grandmother, Marie Klein Hanson Wakefield, was from Elmhurst and Chicago, Illinois, and for much of her work life she was the head fitter at the 28 Shop at Marshall Field & Company at the corner of State and Washington in Chicago.
That was a job that took a lot of talent, and it was a pretty cool job. She fitted celebrities, as well as other wealthy customers of the store. She designed clothing for some, and she was asked to move to Hollywood to work for the movies as a costume designer (which she turned down).
When she retired, Grandma was given a pittance (IMO) monthly retirement and a book about the story of Marshall Field & Company.
The book was on our bookshelves when I was a kid, and I devoured the history of department stores in Chicago, which is a subject I still find fascinating.
And I still have the book today.
Is it just me or do you think that this generic inscription is a little too little for the years my grandmother gave away her talents to the company?
It’s fitting that my first real job (outside of family business) was with a department store in Kalamazoo–Jacobson’s, where I (what else?) fitted gloves (see the image on the book cover). Yes, pun intended.
The Family Kalamazoo 
You’re correct about that inscription. They didn’t even mention her name!
What was the point of inscribing it so impersonally?!
Well I do get your point about the inscription. However most places today would not even bother with a token gift.
Yes, so true. It was a different world then. She had a management position in such an important and pricy department for decades. People rarely have jobs like that anymore, unfortunately.
Luanne, I remember other stories about your grandmother and her fittings. Honestly, this is of course a ridiculous parting gift, but I can’t believe you ended up with it. I find it fascinating, too. You’re the best family historian.
I was so lucky to get it, and I loved the story. After that, stories like Sister Carrie that were about young women who worked in the department stores fascinated me. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sheila!
On the bright side… I do love the handwriting of the inscription. What a cool job your grandmother had! Do you have any “on-the-job” photos of her?
The handwriting is beautiful. You don’t know how much I would like to find a photo of her at work! I do have one very old one showing her sewing in what looks like a tailor shop with an older woman standing over her. But I think it probably predates her Marshall Field work. She first worked in a sweatshop! I keep thinking something will turn up someday somewhere because MF & Co must have had a lot of photos of the 28 Shop.
I hope you find one! ❤
That does seem rather stingy and cold after all those years—was your grandmother upset by it? And fitting gloves? Like fancy gloves? In our lifetime?? I think the last time I wore dress gloves (as opposed to winter gloves) was 1959 when I went to my cousin’s bar mitzvah!
Yes, fitted leather gloves. We had velvet pads to place the customer’s elbows on. And a tape measure to measure their hands. This was in the mid-70s. Jacobson’s was similar to Saks, but only in Michigan (and maybe Florida?). Here it is (yes, Florida and a few other states as well): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobson%27s
Glove fitting went out shortly after I left that department haha.
Wow, who knew?? I wonder if Saks was still selling gloves to fit in the 70s. Maybe you put the kibosh on gloves for Jacobson’s?!
Poignant story. An unappreciated artist….
Yes, the direct beneficiaries of her work always appreciated it, but I guess management didn’t really care as long as the work was done and customers didn’t complain.
Nice story Luanne. I did a search for YouTube Marshall Field items and got these.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Marshall+Fields+Chicago+and+movie+stars — Maybe one of the films has your grandma in it.
Hey, Jose, thank you so much for getting me going on this. I dug a little bit. On the Chicago Genealogy Facebook group somebody gave me this link: https://www.chicagohistory.org/marshall-field-company-collection/
This sounds amazing, but it doesn’t look like an online source, does it?
Or you can go through all the cards and photos on this — https://www.pinterest.com/pin/16888567323295576/
I started “pinning” some of these–thanks!
Wonderful history, Luanne! I love this! The inscription (although beautifully written) seems a bit understated, but then again, in that era, emotional restraint was the code of behavior, don’t you think?
Well, you do have a point, Patti. Yes, it was probably considered professional to be so impersonal, whereas I think it’s a shame that Grandma’s name isn’t on the book!