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Two remarkable exhibitions have recently shed light on the origins and magical universe of department stores.
The first, The Birth of Department Stores: Fashion, Design, Toys, Advertising 1852-1925, was held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from 10 April to 5 October 2024. The second, The Saga of Department Stores from 1850 to the Present, is currently on display at the Cité de l'Architecture in Paris and will run until 6 April 2025.
The emergence of department stores took place within a unique political, economic, and industrial context, where all the elements aligned to ensure their success. During the Second Empire (1852-1870), these new temples of commerce rose as symbols of modernity and prosperity.
Paris transformed under Napoleon III - the cradle of department stores
During the Second Empire (1852-1870), Paris was transformed into a modern and prestigious capital. Inspired by London, Napoleon III entrusted Georges Haussmann to redesign the city: 20,000 houses were demolished, and 43,000 Haussmanian buildings were erected. Wide boulevards, designed to improve the flow of people and goods, became prime locations for the first department stores.
Impressive depictions of two department stores: Aux Phares de la Bastille, located at Place de la Bastille, and Au Louvre, located on Rue de Rivoli.
While Haussmann's renovations created wide boulevards, the perspective on these buildings is slightly exaggerated!
(click on images to enlarge)
Railways - a driving force of commercial growth
The railway revolution, driven by Napoleon III, transformed trade. Between 1851 and 1869, the network expanded from 3,558 km to 16,994 km, connecting Paris to numerous regions. Department stores took advantage of this infrastructure to expand their customer base in the provinces and to promote mail-order sales, a major innovation of the time.
Industrialisation serving department stores
Industrialisation made mass production possible. Technological advances, such as the quadrupling of steam engine power and the boom in steel and iron production, enabled department stores to offer an abundant and diverse range of goods. The Universal Exhibitions of 1855 and 1867 celebrated these achievements, showcasing numerous innovations across various fields to the public.
A woven image depicting Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. Reflecting the immense progress of the ribbon-weaving industry in the Saint-Etienne region, this type of woven imagery showcases remarkable craftsmanship. Note the detailed contrasts and the presence of purple, the Empress's favourite colour.
Temples of commerce and pleasure
The first half of the 19th century was marked by remarkable commercial dynamism, driven by the dissolution of guilds. This allowed for the emergence of concentrated retail formats such as covered passages, bazaars, and novelty shops. These novelty shops, precursors to department stores, took their name from the seasonal renewal of fabrics they offered. Under one roof, they sold textiles for clothing and furnishings, ready-made items, lace, furs, haberdashery, hosiery, and the indispensable shawl. Their names often reflected their location or referenced popular plays, laying the foundation for the identity of modern department stores.
Émile Zola, the famous French writer, described department stores as “cathedrals of modern commerce.” Their spectacular architecture, combining glass and metal, elevated the shopping experience. Inside, goods were meticulously displayed, creating a theatricality that evoked contemplation and desire. For the first time, shopping became an activity of leisure and pleasure, freed from mere necessity. Consumption was further encouraged by a major innovation: fixed, clearly displayed prices, replacing the arbitrary haggling practices of the past.
Department stores not only transformed commerce but also redefined labour relations. Their paternalistic management style, combining protection and control, structured employees' lives. This model supported their rapid growth through to the interwar period, establishing these stores as pillars of the emerging consumer society.
Department stores were seen as new leisure destinations, where the bourgeoisie could enjoy strolling through the aisles or relaxing in the reading rooms.
Customers were treated more like guests than mere buyers, with free entry and no obligation to purchase—a revolutionary idea at the time. Various exhibitions were held regularly, offering entertainment designed to inspire purchases.
Mail-order catalogues
Mail-order sales emerged as a major innovation for department stores, addressing the rise of mass production and the diversification of products. With profits relying on the volume of sales, these catalogues allowed stores to expand their customer base to the provinces and abroad, quickly becoming a key tool in this new commercial system. Initially simple pamphlets, they evolved into richly illustrated publications, organising products by categories and reflecting the diversification of departments. By the 1870s, their format and content became more specialised and extensive, as department stores developed dedicated services to manage this activity. These publications provided a glimpse into bourgeois lifestyles, covering various fields such as fashion, decoration, homemaking, and leisure. They highlighted the innovations of the era, such as bicycles, automobiles, and seaside holidays, showcasing the aspirations and tastes of a changing clientele.
In this video, you will be able to browse through some of these catalogues from Madame Sajou's collection:
The pioneers of department stores - a commercial revolution
Le Bon Marché, which still exists today, is often considered the oldest department store in Paris, but this is not entirely accurate. Before it, Le Tapis Rouge, founded in 1784, had already opened its doors, paving the way for this commercial model. Le Petit Saint-Thomas (poster above), founded in 1830, and Pygmalion, established in 1793, also played a role in transforming Parisian commerce, as did La Belle Jardinière, founded in 1824, a trailblazer in ready-to-wear fashion.
Outside of Paris, other department stores have also left their mark on the history of commerce. In Manchester, at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, Kendals (formerly Watts Bazaar), founded in 1796 and known for its innovative architecture, stands as one of the UK’s first department stores. In London, Harrods, founded in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod, has become one of the most iconic department stores in the world. In Australia, David Jones, established in Sydney in 1838 by the Welsh tailor of the same name, remains the oldest department store in the world still operating under its original name, offering luxury shopping and personalised service.
In 1852, Aristide Boucicaut founded Au Bon Marché at the corner of rue de Sèvres and rue du Bac in Paris. Inspired by this model, many other department stores opened in the following decades. In 1855, the Grands Magasins du Louvre opened in Paris, followed in 1856 by the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville and the Palais de la Nouveauté Crespin-Dufayel, also in Paris. In 1858, Macy’s was established in New York, while Au Printemps was founded in Paris in 1865. In 1869, La Samaritaine opened in Paris, and in 1870, the Magasin du Nord was established in Copenhagen.
Impressive view of the interior of the Crespin-Dufayel department store, formerly the Palais de la Nouveauté,
which was located on rue de Clignancourt. It closed its doors in 1930.
From the 1890s onwards, a new generation of department stores emerged worldwide. Among them, El Palacio de Hierro opened in Mexico City in 1888, followed by GUM in Moscow in 1893 and the Galeries Lafayette in Paris in 1894. In 1898, Tietz was established in Berlin, and in 1900, L’Innovation opened in Brussels. KaDeWe was founded in Berlin in 1907, Selfridges in London in 1909, and La Rinascente in Milan in 1917.
In 1912, Au Printemps opened its first branch in Deauville, catering to its bourgeois clientele on holiday. Two years later, in 1914, Harrods crossed the Atlantic to establish a store in Buenos Aires, illustrating the international expansion of department stores.
Japanese department stores, between tradition and modernity
While many department stores in Europe, particularly in France, have disappeared and the concept itself is losing momentum, in Japan, department stores continue to thrive with impressive vitality, and many of them still operate today. Frédérique Crestin-Billet knows this only too well, having participated on numerous occasions in French Fairs to present products from Maison Sajou, which enjoys an impressive fan base among Japanese customers.
Japanese department stores, as we know them today, trace their origins to much older establishments, often dedicated to selling kimonos. In 1611, Matsuzakaya was established under the name "Ito Gofukuten," before merging with Daimaru in 2007. Daimaru itself was founded in 1717 in Kyoto under the name "Daimonjiya." Mitsukoshi, often considered the oldest department store in Japan, dates back to 1673 when it operated as "Echigoya," a kimono store based in Osaka. In 1662, Tokyu began as "Shirokiya" in Nihombashi, Tokyo, while Takashimaya, another iconic name, opened in Kyoto in 1831. Isetan, founded in 1886 as "Iseya" in Kanda, Tokyo, merged with Mitsukoshi in 2008, continuing the rich tradition of these historic stores.
The Mitsukoshi department store in the 1920s. Located in the heart of Tokyo near Nihonbashi (日本橋), also known as the "Bridge of Japan,"
this historic bridge was built in 1603 during the Edo period. It served as the starting point for Japan's major routes and still marks the country's kilometer zero today.
The early 20th century saw the rise of new names like Kintetsu in 1920 (initially "Kyoto Bussankan"), Hankyu in 1929, Seibu in 1940, and finally Odakyu in 1961.
However, Mitsukoshi is often regarded as Japan's first true department store. In 1904, it issued its "Department Store Declaration," announcing its ambition to operate according to Western department store principles: organised into departments, offering local and imported products under one roof, with fixed prices and items displayed behind glass counters.
In Tokyo at the turn of the century, this Western-inspired commercial revolution was led by Mitsukoshi and its rival Shirokiya, the two largest stores in the capital. These establishments offered a Japanese version of "modern life" (modan raifu), blending foreign curiosities and local products in an innovative setting. After the 1923 earthquake, these department stores literally rose as symbols of modernity above the city's horizontal skyline, embodying the social and cultural transformations reshaping Japanese life at the time.
