The Chicago "I Will" Figure

The idea of picturing the spirit of Chicago dates back to 1891, when the Inter-Ocean, a local newspaper, suggested that the city device should be a figure typical of its character in the same way that nations and cities find artistic expression in such nicknames as "Uncle Sam" and "Father Knickerbocker." The InterOcean sponsored a contest to achieve such a design or device, and the Chicago "I Will" figure, submitted by Charles Holloway, a prominent artist from Chicago, won the first award.

The "I Will" figure is a conception of strength, vitality and heroism. It stands youthful, energetic and bold, and its poise suggests the combination of steadfastness and progress that has made Chicago the wonder city of the world. The expression of the features, the forehead and the farseeing eyes is a token of the brain and mentality behind the intellectual and material development of the city.

The leather strap about the wrist is symbolic of the device frequently used by athletes for reinforcement of the muscles. The carpenter's square held against the hip has in it the peaceful idea of labor and industry, of the era when, according to scriptural verse, swords shall be beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. The phoenix crest above the broadening brow recalls the seemingly hopeless cataclysm from which the Chicago spirit arose anew, namely, the Chicago Fire.

Source:  
  Historical Information About Chicago. Municipal   
    Reference Library, Chicago, 1975. p.23.   
  Municipal Reference Collection files.