Bertha Matilde Palmer (; May 22, 1849 – May 5, 1918) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. She was the wife of millionaire Potter Palmer and early member of the Chicago Woman's Club, as well as president of the Board of Lady Managers. She is most known for her work during the 1893

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

, as well as her donation of her impressionist art collection to the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

Early life

Born as Bertha Matilde Honoré in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, her father was businessman Henry Hamilton Honoré. Her family moved to Chicago in 1855, when Bertha was six years old. Known within the family as "Cissie", she studied in her home town and achieved a reputation as a musician, linguist, writer, politician, and administrator. She was one of six children, and the oldest of the Honoré daughters. Her sister, Ida Marie Honoré, was married to

Frederick Dent Grant Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850 – April 12, 1912) was a soldier and United States minister to Austria-Hungary. Grant was the first son of General and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Grant. He was named after his ...

, eldest son of general and president

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

. She was a graduate of

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School is a private college-preparatory school for girls located in the historic Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown. Founded in 1799 by the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (also known as the ...

, and also attended St. Xavier Academy. She graduated in 1867 with high academic achievements which included multiple fields of science, literature, and algebra. Photo 2024-04-07 112036-edt-large-JPEG

Personal life and marriage

She married the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

millionaire

Potter Palmer Potter Palmer (May 20, 1826 – May 4, 1902) was an American businessman who was responsible for much of the development of State Street (Chicago), State Street in Chicago. Born in Albany County, New York, She was 21 and he was 44. Palmer was a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

merchant who had come to Chicago after failing twice in business. The two met in 1862 when Bertha was just 13 years old.''Love Under Fire: The Story of Bertha and Potter Palmer'', Amelia Dellos, Corn Bred Films, 2013 In Chicago, he learned to please his customers, many of whom were women. He made customer service a priority and carried everything from dry goods to the latest French fashions for ladies. Palmer sold his vast store to a consortium, and it would eventually become

Marshall Field's Marshall Field & Company (colloquially Marshall Field's) was an American department store chain founded in 1852 by Potter Palmer. It was based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, ...

. Palmer then opened a luxury hotel,

Palmer House Palmer House may refer to: In the United Kingdom * Palmer House, Great Torrington, an 18th-century house in Devon In the United States Items in this section are alphabetized by state, then city. * Palmer House (Blackton, Arkansas), listed on th ...

, and invested in real estate, eventually owning a vast portfolio of properties. Soon after their marriage, the Chicago Fire wiped out the Palmer House and most of their holdings. Bertha Palmer had to rush off to wire the east so that Palmer could re-establish credit, borrow money and rebuild his holdings. 95% of Palmers buildings and assets were destroyed in the fire. Shortly after the fire, Bertha Palmer changed Potter Palmer's mind about leaving Chicago. Bertha Palmer was unusually poised for one so young, and together, the Palmers re-established their fortune. Despite her age, she quickly rose to the top of Chicago society. "She was beautiful, dashing, quick, and smart; and more than that, she was sure of herself," wrote historian

Ernest Poole Ernest Cook Poole (January 23, 1880 – January 10, 1950) was an American journalist, novelist, and playwright. Poole is best remembered for his sympathetic first-hand reportage of revolutionary Russia during and immediately after the Revolution ...

. In 1874, she gave birth to son Honoré, and in 1875, she gave birth to son Potter Palmer II. Both sons went on to have children including Potter Palmer II naming his son Potter Palmer III. Palmer was an early member of the Chicago Woman's Club, and part of the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of approximately 2,300 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Community Serv ...

; this group of working women met to discuss social problems and develop solutions. They supported

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

s until the city made them part of the school system, campaigned for inexpensive milk for impoverished children, and better care for children of imprisoned mothers. She was also an early member of the Fortnightly Club of Chicago, alongside

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of s ...

and Ellen Martin Henrotin, and was a patron of the Women's Trade Union League that worked to start unions and safe working conditions for factory girls. She and Mr. Palmer were also members of the esteemed

Chicago Club The Chicago Club, founded in 1869, is a private social club located at 81 East Van Buren Street at Michigan Avenue in the Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Its membership has included many of Chicago's most prominent ...

. Even though the Palmer House did sell alcohol, Palmer was quite interested in the

Women's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program that "linked the religious and the secular through concerted and far ...

. Palmer approved of Jane Addams' work at

Hull House Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located on the Near West Side of Chicago, Hull House, named after the original house's first owner Charles Jerald Hul ...

and gave aid when needed to the civil service. Her main goal was women's education and funding programs that would help. "'If funds were lacking for any good cause, or if we had to make up a quota, we just asked the Potter Palmers,' commented Mrs. Carter H. Harrison, the Mayor's wife". While she never was a suffragette, she did understand the importance of rights for women, believing that men and women should work together to solve their problems. She was a socialite woman who followed the problems and difficulties of the classes lower than her own. While she believed in women's rights, and helping the working class, she was more conservative with her politics and thinking. As the President of the Board of Lady Managers she was very firm and often clashed with women under her who did not agree with her more conservative beliefs including her refusal of African American women to join the Board of Lady Managers to include and satisfy factions of women from the south.

Chicago World's Fair and The Women's Building

Chicago was the site of the

in 1893, a celebration of the discovery of the New World by Columbus. It also marked the city's recovery from the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

of 1871. Women had a large presence in the fair and the plum position was the President of the Board of Lady Managers, which Bertha Palmer was selected to lead in 1891. While the positions were honorary, the women had a great deal of work to do. The board chose Sophia Hayden as architect for The Woman's Building and designer to supervise the interior decoration. However, when Hayden wouldn't take Palmer's advice to accept rich women's donations of architectural odds and ends to decorate the exterior, fearing a horrible visual impact as a result, Palmer fired Hayden and hired the much more malleable

Candace Wheeler Candace Wheeler (née Thurber; March 24, 1827 – August 5, 1923), traditionally credited as the mother of interior design, was one of America's first woman interior and textile designers. She helped open the field of interior design to women, s ...

to supervise the interior decoration. The Chicago art curator Sarah Tyson Hallowell (1846–1924) worked closely with Palmer on the art exhibits and the

murals A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...

. Apparently, it was Palmer who chose the theme of "Primitive Woman" and "Modern Woman" for the two murals and Hallowell and Palmer's first choice for both murals was

Elizabeth Jane Gardner Elizabeth Jane Gardner Bouguereau (October 4, 1837 – January 28, 1922) was an American academic and salon painter, who was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, Exeter, New Hampshire. She was an American expatriate who died in Paris where she had li ...

(1837–1922), an experienced academic painter and the paramour of

William-Adolphe Bouguereau William-Adolphe Bouguereau (; 30 November 1825 – 19 August 1905) was a French Academic art, academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings, he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of Classicism, classical subjects, with a ...

(1825–1905). However, the time to paint the two huge murals (12' x 54') was short and the artist did not feel that she had the energy to complete the project. Hallowell then recommended the young academic painter Mary Fairchild MacMonnies and the Impressionist painter

Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh), North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, whe ...

to do the two murals and after their initial rejection of the contracts, the women only had a number of months to complete the murals and have them shipped to Chicago. Led by Palmer, who approached Congress on the matter, the board also requested that the mint produce a new

commemorative coin A commemorative coin is a coin issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Some coins of this category serve as collector's items only, while most commemora ...

for the Exposition and their efforts resulted in the

Isabella quarter The Isabella quarter or Columbian Exposition quarter was a United States commemorative coin struck in 1893. Congress authorized the piece at the request of the Board of Lady Managers of the World's Columbian Exposition. The quarter depicts t ...

. Following the opening of the Exposition, Palmer sat for the fashionable Swedish painter

Anders Zorn Anders Leonard Zorn (18 February 1860 – 22 August 1920) was a Swedish artist who attained international success as a painter, sculptor, and etching artist. His portrait subjects include King Oscar II of Sweden and three President of the Un ...

(1860–1920), who was commissioned by the Board of Lady Managers from the fair. Relative to Ms. Palmer's Inclusivity: (CNN: 2021) "That year (World Fair), for the very first time, a group of White women managed to obtain the space and funds for a "Women's Building" to showcase American women's achievements from the past century. During the closing ceremony of The Woman's Building, Bertha Palmer delivered the final address stating, "Not only have the material exhibits drawn attention to the skill of women and shown the point of development which has been reached by them, but their interests, their capabilities, their needs, and their hopes have been brought before the public and thoroughly discussed from every point of view during the time of preparation for, as well as during the continuance of, the Exposition". According to at least one legend, Palmer helped invent the

chocolate brownie Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree ('' Theobroma cacao''); unprocessed, they ...

when she directed that her kitchen staff come up with a confection smaller than a piece of cake for women attending the Columbian Exposition. One of Palmer's challenges as President of the Board of Lady Managers was greeting the highly official guests that arrived at the fair; the most difficult,

Infanta Eulalia of Spain Infanta Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera (''María Eulalia Francisca de Asís Margarita Roberta Isabel Francisca de Paula Cristina María de la Piedad de Borbón y Borbón''; 12 February 1864 – 8 March 1958), was the youngest and last surviving chil ...

. Since the beginning of her stay, the Infanta was quite difficult especially when it came to talking to Bertha Palmer, who she had called "'An innkeeper's wife!'" referring to Bertha's relation to The Palmer House. Since the Infanta was royalty, she did not like Bertha Palmer's lavish lifestyle as it appeared to the Infanta that Palmer was competing with the duchess as to who had the best grace and authority. The conflict between the two women made it to the newspapers. "The story took on exaggerated twists. It was gleefully related that the two women had occupied separate thrones in the ballroom, but that there had not been enough room under one roof for two such regal personages. It was more than rumor that guests had been asked to bow and curtsy twice- once to the Infanta and once to their hostess".

Art collecting

At the time of the fair, the Palmers had been enthusiastic art collectors for a number of years. They depended on the curator Sarah Hallowell, a Philadelphia Quaker who they had met in 1873, for advice and she introduced the Palmers to the painters in Paris and to the latest artistic trends in the French capital. Most Midwestern collectors were still collecting works by the Barbizon School in the 1870s and 1880s, but thanks to the Palmers, this would soon change. In the years leading up to the Columbian Exposition, they became clients of the Parisian dealer

Paul Durand-Ruel Paul Durand-Ruel (; 31 October 1831 – 5 February 1922) was a French art dealer associated with the Impressionists and the Barbizon School. Being the first to support artists such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, he ...

and began to collect French Impressionist works. Because Hallowell was curating a loan exhibition of the latest French art for the exposition, the Palmers accelerated their collecting because the curator wanted the latest and greatest in French art for the fair. Palmer's collection of

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

paintings was unrivaled, soon they had twenty-nine

Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

s and eleven

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that ...

s, nine of the Monets were from the ''Haystacks'' series, painted 1890–91. These works now form the core of the

collection. Hallowell also tried to get the Palmers interested in

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

's work, which he had loaned her for the fair. The frankness of his nudes had caused a stir at the fair and after resisting for a number of months, works by Rodin entered the collection as well and these were among the first acquired by American collectors. Bertha Palmer enjoyed her role as a cultural leader and tastemaker. In 1905, Hallowell finally convinced Mrs. Palmer to sit for Rodin.

Luxurious mansions and lavish spending

Bertha Palmer was famous for her free-spending ways. Her husband indulged her and did not mind that she was in the limelight. Her jewelry was legendary. According to the author Aline B. Saarinen,

so fabulous were her jewels that a newspaper declared that when she appeared on the S.S. Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse with a
tiara A tiara (, ) is a head ornament adorned with jewels. Its origins date back to ancient Greco-Roman world. In the late 18th century, the tiara came into fashion in Europe as a prestigious piece of jewelry to be worn by women at formal occasions ...
of diamonds as large as
lima bean A lima bean (''Phaseolus lunatus''), also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans. Origin and uses ''Phaseolus lunatus'' is found in Meso- and South America. Tw ...
s, a
corsage A corsage is a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's dress or around her wrist for a formal occasion. They are typically given to her by her date. Today, corsages are most commonly seen at homecomings, proms, and similar formal events. In ...
panned with diamonds, a sunburst as big as a baseball, a
stomacher A stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman's gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a stays, or may cover the triangular front of a corset. If simply decorative, the stomacher lies o ...
of diamonds and all the pearls around her neck, Alois Burgskeller of the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
, who was singing at the ship's concert, was stopped right in the middle of a high note.

She traveled throughout Europe, dining with kings and queens and mixing with industrialists and statesmen. Vast sums were spent on the

Palmer Mansion The Palmer Mansion was a large private home constructed 1882–1885 at 1350 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois. Once the largest private residence in the city, it was located in the Near North Side, Chicago, Near North Side neighborhood, ...

in Chicago, starting with $100,000 and rising over $1 million. Potter Palmer dictated in his will that a sum of money should go to whoever next married Bertha. When asked why he would be so generous to his own replacement, he replied, "Because he'll need it." According to her son Potter II, Palmer was always known for her looks and the luxury that accompanied her. "'Before my mother became enamored with Florida, she had long been acknowledged as the fashionable queen of Chicago. Noted for her beauty, her wit, her fabulous pearls and diamonds, and the enormous Gothic Palmer Castle. Of her jewels, father would say, 'There she stands with $200,000 just around her neck.'" She also maintained homes in London and Paris and, following her husband's death in 1902, rumors abounded that she would marry a titled man. Among the suspected suitors were the earl of

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

, the duke of

Atholl Atholl or Athole () is a district in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, bordering (in clockwise order, from north-east) Marr, Gowrie, Perth, Strathearn, Breadalbane, Lochaber, and Badenoch. Historically it was a Pictish kingdom, becoming ...

, the prince of

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

, and the king of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

. However, these rumors all proved to be unfounded when she remained unmarried. In September 1907, Bertha Palmer and her son Potter II took part in the maiden voyage of the new Cunard liner ''

RMS Lusitania RMS ''Lusitania'' was a United Kingdom, British ocean liner launched by the Cunard Line in 1906. The Royal Mail Ship, the world's largest passenger ship until the completion of her sister three months later, in 1907 regained for Britain the ...

'' from

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Florida real estate pioneer

Bertha Palmer became interested in the winter climate of Florida and in 1910 bought over 80,000 acres of land in and around

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

—about one-third of the land in what was then the massive county named Manatee. In 1914, she bought of land as an exclusive hunting preserve called "River Hills" in

Temple Terrace Temple Terrace is a city in northeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, adjacent to Tampa. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 26,690. It is the third and smallest incorporated municipality in Hillsborough County, ...

, Florida. After her death, her sons inherited the land and eventually sold it to developers who created the Mediterranean Revival

golf course community A golf course community is a type of residential Subdivision (land), housing development built around a golf course. History Temple Terrace, Florida is often described as the first planned golf-course community in the United States, dating fro ...

. She became a progressive rancher, land developer, and farm developer who introduced many innovations to encourage the Florida ranching, citrus, dairy, and farming industries. Palmer was one of the first famous people to winter in Florida, beginning a now-common practice. She encouraged wealthy friends and associates in her international social circles to spend winters along

Sarasota Bay Sarasota Bay is a lagoon located off the central west coast of Florida in the United States. Though no significant single stream of freshwater enters the bay, with a drainage basin limited to 150 square miles in Manatee and Sarasota counties, it ...

and her other Florida land interests and promoted the development of many land parcels; today much of that land is still known as Palmer Ranch. The major roads through her property, as well as some connecting to the existing communities, were named by her. Those names remain unchanged as Honoré, Lockwood Ridge, Tuttle, Webber, and Macintosh. She proved herself to be an astute businesswoman: within sixteen years after her husband's death, she managed to double the value of the estate he had left her. After her death, a large parcel of her land was donated (donated according to Sarasota County, sold according to the state) by her sons to become

Myakka River State Park Myakka River State Park is a Florida State Park, that is located east of Interstate 75 in Sarasota County and a portion of southeastern Manatee County on the Atlantic coastal plain. This state park consists of , making it one of the state's l ...

. Her grandson Potter D'Orsay Palmer (1908–39) became a notorious playboy who married four times and died after a brawl in Sarasota. His and Bertha's legacy are recounted in Frank A Cassell's book ''Suncoast Empire''.

Death

Palmer died of breast cancer on May 5, 1918, at her winter residence, The Oaks, in

Osprey, Florida Osprey is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2020 census, up from 6,100 at the 2010 census. The town is located in Southwest Florida and is part of the North Port–Br ...

. Her body was returned to Chicago to lie in state at the Castle, the sumptuous mansion Potter Palmer had built on Chicago's Gold Coast. Bertha Palmer is buried alongside her husband in

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park R ...

Legacy

Bertha Palmer's legacy can still be seen around Chicago today. The Palmer House still stands on Monroe street, selling Bertha Palmer's brownie recipe, as well as a park named after her; Honoré Palmer (Bertha) Park, located on Honoré St. in East Village. Her art collection is still on display in the impressionist wing at the Art Institute Chicago. The documentary ''Love Under Fire: The Story of Bertha and Potter Palmer'' premiered on PBS in 2013.

References

Book, thesis and essay references

David Nolan David Nolan may refer to: * David Nolan (politician) (1943–2010), co-founder of the United States Libertarian Party * David Nolan (American author) (born 1946), American author * David Nolan (British author) (born 1964), British author of ''I ...

, ''Fifty Feet in Paradise: The Booming of Florida''. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. *Sally Webster,''Eve's Daughter/Modern Woman: A Mural by Mary Cassatt'', University of Illinois Press, 2004 *Letters in the Musee Rodin, Paris between Sarah Tyson Hallowell and Rodin, also between Bertha Palmer and Rodin *Aline Saarinen, ''Proud Possessors'', Conde Nast, 1958 *Jeffrey Morseburg, ''The Indefatigable Miss Hallowell'', Biographical Essay, 2010 *Kirsten M. Jensen, ''Her Sex Was an Insuperable Objection: Sara Tyson Hallowell and the Art Institute of Chicago'', MA Thesis, Southern Connecticut State University, 2000 *Hope Black, ''Mounted on a Pedestal:Bertha Honoré Palmer'', Master's Thesis, University of South Florida, 2007 *Ishbel Ross,''Silhouette of Diamonds: The Life of Mrs. Potter Palmer'',1984

External links

Bertha Honoré Palmer at Chicago History Museum Digital Collections

Bertha Honoré Palmer
in Sarasota County Biographies
Biographical Sketch

Love Under Fire: The Story of Bertha and Potter Palmer
2013 documentary film {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Bertha 1849 births 1918 deaths Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School alumni Businesspeople from Chicago Businesspeople from Louisville, Kentucky American art collectors Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople