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Writing an essay on the influence of department stores is a substantial undertaking, requiring an extensive list of references, not least of which would be Émile Zola's Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Delight or The Ladies' Paradise, 1883). However, to truly understand the architectural significance of these retail palaces, a visit to Paris' Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine latest exhibition may be a must.
While the exhibition that recently closed at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, "The Birth of Department Stores," looked primarily at the social, commercial, and recreational aspects of these establishments, the Cité de l'Architecture offers a unique point of view through its exhibition "La Saga des Grands Magasins" (The Saga of the Department Stores; until 6th April 2025). This exhibition seeks indeed to uncover the architectural history of these monumental temples of consumerism, examining both their internal and external designs. For those whose interests lean more towards fashion than architecture, the exhibition also offers a wealth of material to satisfy such tastes, from clothes and accessories to textile samples.
The golden age of French department stores began in the mid-19th century, coinciding with the industrial and transportation revolutions. Opening a department store during this period meant carefully studying the urban fabric of cities and strategically positioning stores in areas that would influence the city planning.
In 1869, French entrepreneur Aristide Boucicaut launched the first modern department store, Le Bon Marché, on Paris's Rue de Sèvres. The architect behind this pioneering project was L.A. Boileau, who employed an innovative iron frame structure with large glass windows to showcase displays, a design concept inspired by the multi-story buildings in New York created by American businessman Alexander Turney Stewart in the late 1840s. Boucicaut's creation, Le Bon Marché, became an emblem of modern retail architecture, and its influence extended far beyond Paris.
From a mere commercial enterprise, the store soon became a cultural and architectural symbol of the time: fascinated by Le Bon Marché, Zola asked the store to give him a complete tour in 1882, a request that he was readily granted. His portrayal of the store owner, Octave Mouret, in Au Bonheur des Dames was directly inspired by Boucicaut.
Following the success of Le Bon Marché, other department stores soon followed, including Les Grands Magasins du Louvre, Les Grands Magasins Dufayel, Le Printemps, La Samaritaine, and Les Galeries Lafayette. These "cathedrals of modern commerce," or of consumption, as Émile Zola aptly described them, represented far more than mere retail spaces. They were transformative environments, redefining the act of shopping. The sheer variety and careful display of goods, coupled with the grandeur of their architecture and atmospheric design, created a sensory experience that invited customers to enter a new realm, a utopia of products. Shopping itself became a pleasurable and desirable activity, not merely a transaction.
This shift in consumer experience brings to mind a quote from Walter Benjamin's Arcade Projects: "For the first time in history, with the establishment of department stores, consumers begin to consider themselves a mass. (Earlier it was only scarcity that taught them that)." The architectures of department stores played a key role in this transformation, they offered a space where individuals could collectively engage in the act of consumption, reshaping them as a unified social group.
Parisian department stores were characterized by their lavish interior design, which encouraged visitors to linger and explore, immersing themselves in a world of fantasy among the opulent displays. These 19th-century buildings boasted grand entrances, sweeping staircases, columns, and gilded elements - features that elevated the shopping experience to a form of leisure.
Taught at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, this architectural style influenced department stores far beyond France, from El Palacio de Hierro in Mexico City to Magasin du Nord in Copenhagen. As evidenced by the exhibition posters, the domed design of Le Printemps also inspired store architecture in countries as diverse as Bulgaria and Egypt.
It wasn't just the architectural styles that were replicated across borders; many of the department stores expanded internationally, with La Samaritaine, for example, opening outposts in Buenos Aires and London.
In some cases specific architectures or features of the department stores became landmarks of Paris, standing alongside other historic monuments like the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré Cœur, and the Arc de Triomphe. Among the others the neo-Byzantine-infused polychrome glass cupola of Galeries Lafayette (the store was revamped in 1912). Created by master glassworker Jacques Grüber, the dome complemented the gilded ironwork balconies by Louis Majorelle.
The exhibition at the Cité de l’Architecture offers a detailed exploration of this phenomenon, blending technical information with immersive visual displays. Visitors are presented with architectural and site plan drawings, models, and even original architectural elements like sections of staircases and doors. The historical documents on display were sourced from the archives of the International Association of Department Stores (IADS), while private collections from the stores themselves contributed tile mosaics, stained glass, and other interior design pieces.
This exhibit also complements the previous exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, which focused on the advertising and commercial aspects of these iconic spaces. Here, visitors will find posters and catalogs, many of which feature illustrations by artists. For fashion enthusiasts, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay and Palais Galliera fashion museum, there's a display of fashion dolls offering a glimpse into the fashion culture of the time.
Fans of Zola will find a treat as well: an original handwritten version of his novel Au Bonheur des Dames, displayed publicly for the first time, with the accompanying notebook.
The exhibition also highlights works that suggest the growing freedom of female shoppers, as symbolized by the first public women's toilet built within Le Bon Marché. Jean Béraud's painting "Parisienne sur la place de la Concorde" symbolizes this shift, illustrating the changing role of women in the city and society (something to ponder for visitors who may want to explore more this point is the ambivalence in Zola's portrayal of Octave Mouret, the department store owner. While Mouret seeks to conquer women as consumers, he simultaneously desires to elevate them to queens of this new world of commerce, blurring the line between empowerment and objectification – while exploring this exhibition wonder in which ways architecture played along with this ambivalence).
For those interested in the commercial side of department stores, the exhibition offers a look at marketing strategies and retail events - from loyalty programs to specialty items like branded postcards and fans, in-house clothing lines and special seasonal sales designed to draw in customers (like the biannual "White Sales" on linens). These marketing innovations and their impact on shopping culture are explored through documents and archival advertisements on display.
The success of department stores was immediate, and they grew rapidly until the interwar period. However, by the 1930s to 1980s, the rise of supermarkets and superstores forced department stores to adapt. To survive, they transformed into "selling machines," rationalizing space and employing marketing strategies.
As architecture evolved post-World War II, so too did department stores. Following Le Corbusier's modernist style, stores opted for closed box-style façades and reorganized internal layouts. Advertising and marketing also adapted, with playful TV ads and artistic collaborations (yes, even Salvador Dalí designed window displays…). From mere temples of consumption, department stores also turned into places to study consumer behavior.
Yet, as the decades passed, while retaining their cultural influence, the sensory experience of shopping began to fade. From the 1980s onwards, economic crises and competition with supermarkets prompted department stores to reassess their role in society. Some closed, while others rediscovered their architectural identity to reconnect with their original commercial appeal.
The rise of online shopping and globalization in the 1990s disrupted traditional models, further transforming consumer behavior. To remain relevant, department stores had to evolve, focusing on experience and service rather than just shopping.
Architecture played a big role in revamping modern department stores. The rediscovery of their architectural identity through projects with famous architects and design studios has indeed allowed many department stores to reconnect with the essence of their original commercial appeal.
Examples include Rem Koolhaas' Office for Metropolitan Architecture redesigning Berlin's KaDeWe and Future Systems' redesign of Selfridges in Birmingham. The architectural reinvention of department stores is also evident in China, where new models, such as the SKP outposts in Chengdu and Xi'an, point to the future direction of these retail spaces.
There’s plenty of time to visit the event as it will run until next year, so, before going it may we worth re-reading Zola's Lady's Paradise, or watching some of the films included in the special screenings at the museum, from Charles Reisner's "The Big Store" (1941), starring the Marx Brothers, to "The Store" (1983) the documentary by Frederick Wiseman about the employees and shoppers at the Neiman-Marcus department in Dallas, Texas, during the holiday season. Or you may try and rediscover some early films from other countries linked to this theme, including Mario Camerini's "I grandi magazzini" (Department Stores, 1939) and Glauco Pellegrini's 1956 film "Una pelliccia di visone" (A Mink Coat).
If you're a fashion design student, re-read Zola, but also think about how you can repurpose these materials for your own studies, research, and collections. Could quotes by Zola or Benjamin inspire your work? How about using site plans as prints or incorporating ideas inspired by interior design elements into accessories and jewelry pieces? The possibilities are endless, just play into the early desirability that department stores once created.
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