For the first time ever, there is an exhibition devoted to department store origins in Paris. Department stores were made for dreaming. Before 1852 one went to a specialized shop for fabric and another for the thread or buttons. The shopkeeper decided the price based on your appearance or their mood. At the Musée des Arts décoratifs (Museum of Decorative Arts), on display until October 13 are 700 items.
The items on exhibit will transport you back to the years between 1852 to 1925. You will get a view of fashion, design, toys, and advertising. And if you love department store history and stories, be prepared. Department Stores Part Two opens October 16 at the Cité des Architectures & Patrimoine.
A Voyage for the Modern Women
You will journey back to the introduction of the temples of commerce. A woman could shop, and touch and find bargains. You will see how she (because the stores were aimed mostly toward women) could now travel the world. Within the department store were carpets, vases and any number of exotic pieces. These items were from far away lands she might never see. She could mail order or have her purchases sent to her home. Any dream was possible in the department store.
What you will see
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Au Bon Marché catalog of a modern home appliance, the washing machine, pictured are products for cleaning and ironing clothes. Between 1854 and 1894, potable water was made available to Parisian apartments. -
Catalog pages with lamps and chandeliers. With the introduction of gas lines (1850) and electricity (20th century) in Paris apartments, this revolution required new fixtures -
Collection of undergarments: Taffeta underskirt (1880-1900), corset with garters (1910-1917), corset (1890), bra (1925) -
Summer dress 1908-1910 – contemporary style in the spirit of designer Paul Poiret but at an affordable price for anyone -
Mannequin La Belle Jardinière style: summertime linen suit; classic for town and country in the 1900s. This model is from 1905 -
Various posters of Paris department stores Au Bon Marché, Samaritaine, Grands Magasins de la Paix -
Poster advertising the enlargement of les Magasins de Nouveautés small shops in the Passage Vivienne -
Advertising posters: one is for a new owner, the other for summer walking and bathing attire. Both shops with fixed prices -
Posters advertising entertainment
The department store was born during a booming industrial and modernization period where the social classes mixed. Anyone with a train ticket traveled to another city. As the railroad developed, so did fashion. Special travel outfits of durable fabric were needed for a journey. Even Parisian dress patterns during this made their way to other countries, especially the recently independent United States.
Rue de Rivoli opened in 1855
Located between Boulevard Ornano (today Barbés) and rue de Clignancourt
15,000 employees, occupied 2 1/2 acres and the nave was devoted to furniture sales
The store owners wanted you to experience a sensation: Entering a palace, a realm of opulence. The mostly female clientele were met with majestic grand staircases. The coloured or plain glass ceilings formed in wrought iron and mosaics are still visible today. Consider Le Bon Marché (1852), Galeries Lafayette (1894), Printemps (1865), and La Samaritaine (1870). Not only did you enter opulence, for the bourgeoisie, they were being waited on.
Photos and videos record clothing and jobs adapted for temporary period. Women took over delivery and many other jobs of men during the First World War. You will see posters galore because target marketing was aimed at mothers. Mothers were enticed to buy toys and clothes for children.
You will see photos of the employees. So many new jobs were created that women left the countryside, moved to Paris and worked behind the counters. Cafeterias and dormitories provided food and shelter for employees.
This press release gives you a concise overview of the exhibition with images. The brochure breaks down the exhibition into sections and is your quick guide for Birth of the Department Store. You will enjoy the exhibit. Plan at least two hours or take a guided tour.
Souvenirs in the Gift Shop
For further reading and enjoyment
Emile Zola, published the novel “Au Bonheur des Dames” (The Ladies’ Delight) in 1883. The Netflix series “Paradise” is a prática drama about this era. Especially interesting is the rise of individuals from basic employment to power. And watching as the small shopkeepers experience the department store take-over of business and desires.
The photographer, Charles Marville took photographs of Paris streets before and during the Napoleon-Haussmann era of reconstruction. The abridged version of the original book is available in English and French. The Parigamme version can be at BHV department store.
