CHICAGO.- The Department of Cultural Affairs presents today Photographs of the Aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire 1871 of photographs taken in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire. These photos, on loan from Bank of America, were taken in early November 1871, just 3 to 4 weeks after the fire tore through the very area where the photos are now being displayed. No known photographs exist of the fire as it burned because cameras were cumbersome and exposure times were too long to capture images quickly. Even these photos were taken by an unknown photographer, who likely traveled from a nearby city, as it is certain that any Chicago photographer with a studio in the business district would have lost his/her equipment and darkroom. With few surviving monuments in evidence, other than the very building where they are being shown, these historic photos bear witness to the fire's devastating effects.

Photographs of the Aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire 1871 will be on view from April 3 to August 23, 2009, in the City Gallery at the Historic Water Tower, 806 N. Michigan Avenue. The City Gallery is open seven days a week, Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 6:30 pm, and Sunday, 10 am - 5 pm. The gallery is closed on all holidays. Admission is free.

The exhibition is organized by the Department of Cultural Affairs in collaboration with Exhibition Realization: Skrebneski. All of the photographs in this exhibition are on loan from Bank of America.

Established in 1999, the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower is a unique exhibition space dedicated to presenting Chicago-themed photographic work, and/or photo-based work by Chicago photographers and artists. For more information on Photographs of the Aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire 1871 and Department of Cultural Affairs exhibitions, the public can visit www.chicagoculturalcenter.org or call 312.744.6630. (TTY: 312.744.2947).