Like the Cheshire Cat, much of Chicago's history fades away while perched in plain sight.

For more than a century, the brick walls of the city served as a ready canvas for advertisements that married artistic experimentation and commercial endeavor. Intrepid painters planted signs for horseshoers and Hamlin's Wizard Oil in places where they would outlast the way of life they represented. Since author Joseph Marlin began documenting the city's advertisements more than thirty years ago, many of them have completely vanished beneath the onslaught of blizzard and bulldozer. From national brands to mom-and-pop shops, his collection offers the last glimpse of a bygone era.

Joseph Marlin is a retired clinical social worker and administrator of hospital social work programs, but he's also a collector. This book is a selection from his collection of fading ad photos. For three decades or more, he has collected vintage cameras, especially examples from the Chicago photographic industry, including still, movie and street cameras. He collects Art Deco items and is a member of the Chicago Art Deco Society. He is a board member of the Hyde Park (Chicago) Historical Society and on the board of a local effort to maintain affordable housing. Since he likes old things, he has lived in his 115-year-old semi-attached row house for fifty years. If you find some readable fading ads not in this book, you can let him know at [email protected].