The Birth of Department Stores exhibition, Paris.
The exhibition “The Birth of Department Stores” – “La naissance des Grands Magasins” – at the Museum of Decorative Arts – Musée des Arts décoratifs (MAD) – in Paris from 10 April to 13 October 2024 explores the evolution of Parisian department stores from 1852 to 1925. It focuses on fashion, design, furniture, toys, posters, and advertising.
The period is from the Second Empire to the International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925. It was the golden age of Parisian department stores such as:
Les Magasins du Louvre.
Le Bon Marché,
La Samaritaine,
Le Printemps,
Les Galeries Lafayette, and
These department stores revolutionized retail and played a significant role in the evolution of consumer society, fashion, sales, and the emergence of children as a new target market. The rise of mail-order sales is also shown.
This is the first part of a 2-part series of the history of department stores from the mid-19thcentury to the present day. The second part from 16 October 2024 to 16 March 2025 dives further into the history from mid-19th century to the contemporary era – and to iconic commercial architecture.
Amélie Gastaut, chief curator of advertising and graphic design collections, is the exhibition curator.
