During the last half of the Nineteen-teens the First World War had an enormous impact on popular thought and practices. Fads abounded in the late 19-teens. Automobiles were all the rage and movie stars were front-page news. People were into spiritualism and Houdini was getting more than his share of publicity for exposing fake mediums. Spiritualism, mediums and the Ouija Boards were frequent topics of conversation because people were concerned about their loved ones away at war. Johnson Smith sold books and items reflecting this popular interest in spiritualism. For example, theOld Gypsey Madges Fortune Teller was a popular book and you could always buy a Ouija Board.
A. C. Gilbert was making a splash with his Mysto Magic Sets and Erector Sets, all of which were eventually sold by Johnson Smith. Also during this era, John L. Wright, the son of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, came up with the idea for Lincoln Logs. Johnson Smith advertised them once in a full-page ad but they apparently didn’t get much response, so they were unceremoniously dropped.
The Tango and the Fox Trot were all the rage, and popular songs were For Me and My Gal and the Darktown Strutters Ball, and some of the best selling books were In Flanders Fields and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
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Clark Street Catalog 
Dearborn Street Catalog
Lake Street Catalog 
Halsted Street Catalog