John V. Farwell & Co. was a department store in Chicago , Illinois , United States . The store 's history traces back to 1836 , when the Wadsworth brothers came to Chicago to sell goods . E. S. Wadsworth eventually formed a partnership with Thomas Dyer and John Putnam Chapin as Wadsworth , Dyer & Chapin . Following a series of ownership changes , the company fell under the executive control of John Villiers Farwell , for whom the company was renamed . A profitable clothing store , Philip Wadsworth & Co. , was later spun off from the company . John V. Farwell & Co. was the most successful store in the city until the 1871 Great Chicago Fire . The store continued to operate after the fire , but faced stiff competition from former partners Marshall Field and Levi Leiter . It was purchased by Carson , Pirie & Co. in 1926
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
John V. Farwell & Co.