A.J. Gaines Collection
Inclusive Dates
circa 1935 – 1982
Bulk Dates
circa 1935 – 1947
Abstract
The A.J. Gaines Collection contains 16mm home movies, primarily shot in the Chicago area in the 1930s and '40s. The films primarily depict family life in Lakeview/Lincoln Park and the North Shore suburbs, as well as fishing trips and travel. Also captured is Franklin D. Roosevelt's visit to Chicago in 1937, and scenes of the Saginaw Furniture Company's factory in Saginaw, MI, which Gaines owned and operated. The films include early Kodachrome, attempts at in-camera editing, and homemade title cards.
Collection Items
![1937: Ann + Sis Fall - [FDR Motorcade]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/0/51816_ca_object_representations_media_7018_large.jpg)
![[1947 ca: Jr. and Mom - New House]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/0/21983_ca_object_representations_media_7016_large.jpg)
![[1937: Fishing]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/0/90419_ca_object_representations_media_7014_large.jpg)
![[1936: Ann 6 months - 1 year]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/0/5909_ca_object_representations_media_7022_large.jpg)
![[1935 ca: Saginaw Furniture Shops Factory]](https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/media/cfa/images/7/0/45001_ca_object_representations_media_7015_large.jpg)
To request more information about the items in this collection, please contact the archive at
info@chicagofilmarchives.org.
Items with Viewable Media
- [1934-35: Fishing]
- 1935: Ann Born
- [1935 ca: Saginaw Furniture Shops Factory]
- 1935: Introducing Miss Ann Gaines, Born July 24th
- 1935: Our First Movies (Not So Good)
- [1936: Ann 6 months - 1 year]
- 1936: Our First Serious Vacation in 5 Years.
- 1937: Ann + Sis Fall - [FDR Motorcade]
- 1937: Ben + family Winter
- [1937: Fishing]
- 1937: Harry's Wedding 3/37 - Ros in hospital with sister 5/37 - Sis in hosp. at birth - Ann in park 6/37 - Ann in tub 7/37
- 1937: Xmas, 3500 Sheridan Road
- 1938: Ann Club Pool Summer / Sis + Ann home yard 8/38
- 1938: Ros tennis at club + Ann in yd Summer - Fall
- [1939-40: Trims and Titles]
- 1939: Ann's Party
- 1939: Ann + Sis 4/39 / Mamie + Corrie Spring Glencoe / Sister's 2nd birthday party
- 1939: Kids party @ club July 4 / Ann's birthday 7/24/39
- [1939, Summer: Ann's Party]
- 1940-41: Kids 12/40 / Spring at Mortinvill 1941
- [1940 circa: Swimming Pool]
- [1940 circa: Untitled Home Movie]
- [1940 circa: Untitled Home Movie]
- [1940: Florida]
- [1943 circa: Untitled Home Movie]
- [1944 circa: Untitled Home Movie]
- [1944: Summer]
- [1945 ca: Patience]
- [1946: Ann's Camp; 1947: Sis Party; Start of South America Trip]
- [1947 ca: Jr. and Mom - New House]
- [1947 ca: South America Trip: Bull Fight - Del Prado Hotel]
- [1947 ca: South America Trip - Curacao - Venezuela - Colombia]
- [1982: Christmas]
- [Boca House]
- Cowboy Capers, Spilled Milk, The Shooter
- [Golf]
- [House Excavation]
- [Misc. Titles 1937-1942]
- [Setting Steel]
Collection Identifier
C.2025-09
Extent of Collection
39 reels of 16mm film totaling 5,729 feet.
Language Of Materials
English
Custodial History
The films were inherited by A.J. and Roslyn Gaines' grandson, Robert D. Spector, in the mid-1980s. Spector donated them to CFA in 2025.
Use Restrictions
Chicago Film Archives holds the copyright for the films in this collection.
Creators
Gaines, A.J.
(was created by)
A.J. Gaines was born in 1907, the son of Hannah and I.S. Ginsburg. Gaines owned and ran Saginaw Furniture Shops, Inc., which was founded by his father in 1922. Headquartered at 666 N Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, the company was best known for their Expand-O-Matic table.
Gaines was married to Roslyn Sincere Gaines, and they had two daughters, Carolyn and Ann, who were raised in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood and then the North Shore suburbs. Gaines loved to travel and documented many of his trips on film; he was a hobbyist filmmaker who enjoyed the latest gadgets. He was also a longtime member of Northmoor Country Club in Highland Park. He retired in the 1970s, moved to Florida in the '80s, and died in 1991 at the age of 84 in Boca Raton, FL.
Gaines, Roslyn Sincere
(was created by)
Gaines was married to Roslyn Sincere Gaines, and they had two daughters, Carolyn and Ann, who were raised in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood and then the North Shore suburbs. Gaines loved to travel and documented many of his trips on film; he was a hobbyist filmmaker who enjoyed the latest gadgets. He was also a longtime member of Northmoor Country Club in Highland Park. He retired in the 1970s, moved to Florida in the '80s, and died in 1991 at the age of 84 in Boca Raton, FL.