Gookin, Frederick William

Chicago banker, calligrapher and designer.

Frederick W. Gookin (1853-1936) was born in Ludlow, Vermont, to Frederick Young Gookin and Elisabeth Patrick Gookin. He had one sister, Mary H. Gookin (1855-1915). The family later relocated to Joliet, Illinois, and then to Chicago in 1872. Frederick W. Gookin went to work as a banker, supporting his parents and sister, while at the same time cultivating an interest in calligraphy, design, and Japanese art. While he remained a banker, he also worked in commercial design, creating advertisements and illustrating publications for a variety of Chicago business and organizations. His interest and expertise in Japanese wood block prints led him to art appraisal and consultant work for collectors interested in Japanese art, which he also promoted through lectures and publications. Around 1903 he left banking to become a freelance art advisor, and was eventually appointed the first curator of the Clarence S. Buckingham Collection of Japanese prints at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was an early member of the Chicago Literary Club, and served as their secretary/treasurer from 1880-1920. He married Marie Sieboth, of Utica, NY, in 1898. The couple had one daughter, Nathalie Clotilde Gookin, nicknamed "Girlie" (1901-1980).