Bertha Palmer — Queen of Chicago

Bertha Palmer married into Chicago’s Gilded Age in 1871 and built an empire of her own from there. As president of the Board of Lady Managers at the 1893 World’s Fair, she commissioned an entire Woman’s Building.

She later left her impressionist art collection to the Art Institute, reshaping the city’s cultural inheritance for good.

Quick Facts

Q: Who was Bertha Palmer?
A: A Gilded Age Chicago socialite and civic leader who married into the city's elite in 1871.

Q: What was her role at the 1893 World's Fair?
A: She served as president of the Board of Lady Managers and commissioned the fair's Woman's Building.

Q: What did she leave behind?
A: Her impressionist art collection, donated to the Art Institute of Chicago.