The Museum’s namesakes David and Alfred Smart were the Chicago-based founders of Esquire, launched in 1933.
One of the first men’s fashion magazines, Esquire was also distinguished by the high quality of its literary and editorial features: the first issue included pieces by Ernest Hemingway, Jon Dos Passos, and Dashiell Hammett. The Smart brothers’ other ventures included Coronet Films, the nation’s leading producer of Cold War-era educational and training films, many of which are now cult favorites. This fully illustrated biography chronicles the Smart’s lives and professional innovations.