Skrudland Photo Service

Before the digital age, cameras used photographic film. The film provided a limited amount of shots—12 or 20 or 36 or whatever—and once you shot a picture, there was no going back and erasing it for reuse. When you used up all the shots, then the film had to be developed and printed. Most people turned those jobs over to a professional.

On the Northwest Side, many of us used Skrudland Photo Service. My dad remembered that they had started out in a small building at Central and Addison during the 1930s. By the time I started taking pictures around 1958, Skrudland’s was operating out of an old bungalow at 6440 West Diversey Avenue.

That Skrudland’s was the first place my parents let me go to solo on the bus. It was a little under three miles from our house at Montrose and Austin. I was about eleven, and could have ridden my bike. Too dangerous, Mom said. Take the bus.

Getting to Skrudland’s involved taking the #91-Austin bus south to Diversey, then transferring to the #76 bus west to the store—or walking that last half-mile if no bus was coming. So every month or so, when I had saved up enough money, I’d make the journey with a used roll of film from my old 8-shot box camera. A few days later, I’d go back to pick up the prints.

The prints came in a pink envelope. Along with them you got a set of negatives. If you wanted a second copy of a particular photo, the store could make it using the negative. The envelope also included various coupons and price lists. Sometimes there’d be a booklet with tracts from the Bible.

Time passed. Amateur photography was getting more and more popular. Skrudland’s opened a second store at 7000 West Belmont Avenue. They tore down the old Diversey bungalow and put up a new building on the site. Then they opened another branch in Palatine.

I continued going to Skrudland’s even after I moved to Rogers Park and later Oak Park. They did good work and their prices were fair. The staff there was friendly, too. They seemed to enjoy what they were doing.

Eventually digital cameras replaced film cameras. Skrudland’s closed the two stores in the city. I’m not sure whether the Palatine store is still in business.

Those pink Skrudland’s envelopes were always a handy place for me to store extra photos. A few weeks ago I decided to go through one of them. I discovered that I had inadvertently saved some 1961-vintage Skrudland’s enclosures. They might not be worthy of sending to the Chicago History Museum or the Smithsonian, so I’ll share them here.

—30—