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Documentary | Feature Film | Courting Bertha Blog
Courting Bertha
Courting Bertha tells the epic love story between young socialite Bertha Honoré and Potter Palmer, a self-made man 20 years her senior, whose passion for one another and the city they loved inspired the rebirth of Chicago after the fire that left it in ruins.
About The Palmers:
Bertha Honoré Palmer came from a family of "blue bloods" who immigrated to Chicago from Louisville, Ky. Her father, Henry Honoré (H.H.), was a real estate man and worked closely with Palmer. Bertha was extremely well-educated for a woman of her time. She was a valedictorian, accomplished in history, chemistry, botany, philosophy, literature, algebra and music. She played the piano, harp and sang. This quote from The Chicago Tribune Magazine on November 30, 1969 explains it best: "Whatever its source, she captured the spirit of the city and became the embodiment of the new woman of action." Her most famous role is that of President of the Board of Lady Managers of The Columbian Exposition for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Together, Bertha and Potter began collecting art and started the foundation of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Impressionist collection. After Palmer’s death, she never remarried and eventually moved to Florida where she was a savvy businesswoman and managed to double the fortune Palmer left her.
Potter Palmer hailed from Albany County, N.Y., from a family of gentleman farmers. Knowing he didn't want to be a farmer, Potter started in retail instead. While on his way to California, he was captivated by Chicago during his first visit, even though he fell ill with dysentery. His father loaned him $5,000 to start a business and within a year, he made $47,000 with his dry goods store, Potter Palmer & Company. Palmer was the father of shopping as we know it: he was the first to subscribe to ideas like: “the customer is always right,” returns, receipts, window displays, and line of credits. At one point, Macy's in New York sent representatives out to research Palmer's methods.
Chicago was a wild, marshy, muddy town overrun by onion fields and Native American Indians. Many people at the time would simply pass through the city on their way to the West Coast, except for a few industrious settlers, businessmen looking to tame this prairie perched on the Great Lakes with railroads streaming through it. After the fire, Chicago rose like a Phoenix from the ashes to become a world class city.
About Corn Bred Films:
Corn Bred Films is a Chicago-based production company founded and operated by Writers/Producers Eric B. Anderson and Amelia Estelle Dellos. For more information, please visit www.cornbredfilms.com.
Eric B Anderson
Amelia Estelle Dellos
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2011 Corn Bred Films
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