Illinois

Noteworthy Italian American periodicals from the state of Illinois are highlighted in this section of the guide. The images on this page feature the periodical Mens Italica, a monthly review of Italian culture published in Chicago. These images are photographs of the periodicals taken by the editor of the guide that are not available in the Library of Congress's digital collections. The periodical titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

Mens Italica. (Chicago, Illinois), March 1928. The front cover of the very first issue of Mens Italica. Library of Congress General Collections.

Mens Italica. (Chicago, Illinois), March 1928. The title page of the first issue. Library of Congress General Collections.

Select the title of any periodical listed below to view fuller bibliographic information for that item in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to electronic versions are provided when available. Links to full-text articles available through the subscription databases in the Library of Congress E-Resources Online Catalog are only accessible onsite. Also, see the "Databases & External Websites" section of this guide.

L'Unione Italiana (Chicago, Illinois)
Call Number: Newspaper 7637
Published/Created: 1867-Nov. 11, 1868
Publisher: E. Londini.
Languages: Italian.
LC Holdings: Microfilm: 1867: Oct.1-1868: Nov.11. Scattered issues wanting.
LC Location: Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room.
Notes: In the early 20th century, Chicago ranked as the third city in the United States for the size of its Italian population (New York, first; and Philadelphia, second). Italians began trickling into Chicago in the 1850s and mainly were employed in the secondary and tertiary sectors of the job market. By 1880, there were more than 1,300 Italians in the Chicago who had succeeded as restaurateurs and investors in real estate. These early arrivals were predominantly from Liguria (northwestern Italy), who strongly supported nationalist ideals and celebrations, including Chicago's first Columbus Day parade in 1868. In 1866, they organized a mutual benefit society, Società di Unione e Fratellanza, and published the newspaper L'Unione Italiana (1867–69), a weekly newspaper that was continued by the Messaggiere italiano dell'ouest (See next entry in this same section below).
Bibliographic Sources: Candeloro, Dominic. “Chicago's Italians: A Survey of the Ethnic Factor, 1850–1990.” In Ethnic Chicago: A Multicultural Portrait, edited by Peter d'Alroy Jones and Melvin G. Holli. 229–259. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.,1995. Vecoli, Rudolph J. “Chicago's Italians prior to World War I: A Study of Their Social and Economic Adjustment” (Ph.D. diss., University of Wisconsin, 1962). Vecoli, Rudolph J. “The Formation of Chicago's ‘Little Italies.’ ” Journal of American Ethnic History, 2 2, no. 2 (1983): 5-20. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27500267 External (from the subscription database JSTOR available onsite).
Messaggiere Italiano dell'Ouest (Chicago, Illinois)
Call Number: Newspaper
Published/Created: Nov. 21, 1868-[18--?]
Publisher: Italo-American Print. Co.
Languages: Italian.
LC Holdings: 1868: Nov. 21-1869: Feb. 10 (older receipt).
LC Location: Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room.
Notes: The Messaggiere Italiano dell'Ouest was a weekly newspaper that continued Chicago's L'Unione Italiana.

Mens Italica. Rivista Mensile di Diffusione del Pensiero e della Cultura Italiana (Chicago, Illinois) by Vito Losacco (publisher/editor)
Call Number: AP38 .M4
Published/Created: 1928-
Publisher: Vito Losacco, [1928-].
Languages: Italian with some English.
LC Holdings: Bound Volumes: March 1928-March 1929.
LC Location: Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms.
Notes: Mens Italica was a monthly review of Italian culture founded and directed by Vito Losacco. Among the Italian authors and university professors who contributed to the periodical were: the playwright Fausto Maria Martini; the artist Alfredo Petrucci; the professor from University of Palermo F. Biondolillo; the professor of the University of Rome G. Calligaris; Admiral E, Bravetta; General E. Bertotti; E. Corradini; L. D' Ambra; E. Ferri, among many other relevant Italian authors and scholars in Italy and the United States. It was considered an influential magazine dedicated to shaping the cultural beliefs of Italians in America as well as providing a solid sense of connection to native Italian heritage and culture.
Bibliographic Sources: Schiavo, Giovanni E. The Italians in Chicago. A Study in Americanization. Chicago: Italian American Publishing, 1928.

Italiana (River Forest, Illinois)
Call Number: PQ4001 .I77
Published/Created: c. 1986-
Publisher: Rosary College.
Languages: English and Italian.
LC Holdings: Bound Volumes: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992.
LC Location: Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms.
Notes: The issues of Italiana for 1986-1988 publish selected papers from the proceedings of the 3rd-5th annual Conference of the American Association of Teachers of Italian.

Italian American Periodicals at the Library of Congress

Illinois

Mens Italica. (Chicago, Illinois), March 1928. The front cover of the very first issue of Mens Italica. Library of Congress General Collections.

Mens Italica. (Chicago, Illinois), March 1928. The title page of the first issue. Library of Congress General Collections.