1st Edition

Temples of Luxury Volume II: Department Stores

Edited By Lise Sanders, Susanne Schmid Copyright 2024

    This two-volume collection of British primary sources examines institutions such as hotels, inns, arcades, bazaars, co-operatives, shops and department stores in the long nineteenth century, which were often coded as ‘luxurious’. This period was marked not only by an increase of individual consumerism but also by the institutionalisation of opulent, often purpose-built spaces such as the much-admired new grand hotels, supposedly an American invention, and department stores, modelled on the French grands magasins. These environments were tied to leisure (no longer a prerogative of the upper classes) and thus to modernity. In addition to addressing the luxurious side of these institutions, including architectural innovation and interior decoration, we also consider the other side of luxury, examining the experience of staff and period debates over the morality of consumption.

    This edition seeks to explore a fascinating but hitherto often neglected side of the British nineteenth century by bringing together a collection of annotated primary texts and visual material documenting these ‘temples of luxury’ as they were seen by their contemporaries.

    VOLUME II DEPARTMENT STORES

    List of Figures xi

    Acknowledgments xiii

    Introduction: Department Stores: Precursors,

    Establishments, Alternatives 1

    LISE SHAPIRO SANDERS AND SUSANNE SCHMID

    1 Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures,

    Fashions and Politics 9

    RUDOLPH ACKERMANN (ED.)

    1.1 ‘Harding, Howell, & Co.’s Grand Fashionable

    Magazine, No. 89, Pall-Mall’ (1809) 11

    1.2 ‘Messrs. Morgan and Sanders’s Ware-Room,

    Catherine-Street, Strand’ (1809) 13

    2 The Bazaar, Its Origins, Nature, and Objects Explained (1816) 15

    JOSEPH NIGHTINGALE

    3 Walks Through Bath (1819) 23

    PIERCE EGAN

    4 A Visit to the Bazaar (1820) 27

    5 ‘The Lowther Arcade’ (1832) 35

    6 ‘London Shops’ (1834) 41

    7 ‘A Short Account of St. John’s Market’ (1835) 47

    J. A. P.

    8 On the Construction and Decoration of the Shop Fronts

    of London (1840) 53

    N[ATHANIEL] WHITTOCK

    9 ‘The Lady Shopping’ (1841) 63

    10 ‘Shops of London’ (1841) 69

    11 ‘The Belle of the Burlington Arcade’ (1845) 73

    F. O. WARD

    12 Selection of Articles From Punch, or The London Charivari 81

    12.1 ‘Important to Shopkeepers’ (1844) 83

    12.2 ‘Dramatic Shopmen’ (1845) 85

    12.3 ‘Geography for Young Ladies’ (1846) 86

    12.4 ‘The Shops at Christmas’ (1849) 87

    13 The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace 91

    13.1 ‘History of the Great Exhibition’ (1851) 93

    13.2 ‘A Glance at the Exhibition’ (1851) 95

    13.3 Charlotte Brontë’s Letters on the Great Exhibition (1908) 102

    14 ‘Arcadia’ (1853) 105

    [GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA]

    15 ‘Mr. Gye’s Plan for a Glass Street’ (1855) 115

    16 ‘London Shops, Old and New’ (1857) 119

    CHARLES MANBY SMITH

    17 ‘Shawls, and Where They Come From.

    Cashmere Goat’ (1858) 127

    18 ‘Westbourne Grove, Paddington’ (1860) 137

    19 Punch on the International Exhibition 141

    19.1 ‘Exhibitors and Their Advertisements’ (1862) 143

    19.2 ‘Shopping at the World’s Show’ (1862) 145

    20 ‘The Royal Polytechnic, Glasgow, the Grand Centre

    of Attraction During the Holidays’ (1864) 147

    21 Leisure Hour 151

    21.1 ‘Shopping Without Money’ (1865) 153

    21.2 ‘Going a Shopping’ (1866) 160

    22 The Struggles of Brown, Jones and Robinson:

    By One of the Firm (1870) 165

    ANTHONY TROLLOPE

    23 ‘Lunch with the Linendrapers’ (1872) 177

    24 ‘The Arrangement of Departments’ (1874) 183

    ‘VIDI’

    25 Co-operative Stores 191

    25.1 ‘The Shopkeepers and the Co-operative Stores’ (1874) 193

    25.2 ‘Domestic Puzzles: Where Shall I Buy – Shops

    or Stores?’ (1879) 195

    MRS. WIGLEY

    26 ‘The Philosophy of Shopping’ (1875) 203

    [ELIZA LYNN LINTON]

    27 Reminiscences of an Old Draper (1876) 209

    [WILLIAM H. ABLETT]

    28 Warehousemen and Drapers’ Trade Journal 217

    28.1 ‘Girls Behind the Counter’ (1876) 219

    28.2 ‘Small and Large Shops’ (1876) 221

    28.3 ‘Kleptomania’ (1876) 223

    29 ‘Afternoon Strolls I: A Japanese Warehouse’ (1876) 225

    EDWARD W. GODWIN

    30 ‘Girl Labour in London’ (1877) 229

    31 City Jackdaw (Manchester) 235

    31.1 ‘Manchester Warehousemen and Clerks’ Schools’ (1878) 237

    31.2 ‘In the Show-Room. [By a Lady Contributor]’ (1879) 239

    32 ‘Leviathan Shops and Stores’ (1881) 241

    33 Building News 251

    33.1 ‘Shop Fronts’ (1881) 253

    J. G. LIBRA

    33.2 ‘Shop-Windows: – III’ (1881) 264

    J. G. LIBRA

    34 ‘ The Ladies’ Paradise ’ (1883) 267

    ÉMILE ZOLA

    35 A Guide to Window-Dressing: Reprinted from the

    Warehousemen and Drapers’ Trade Journal (1883) 275

    36 Death and Disease Behind the Counter (1884) 281

    THOMAS SUTHERST

    37 ‘The Riot in the West-End’ (1886) 289

    38 The Manchester Jubilee Exhibition of 1887 297

    38.1 ‘The Manchester Jubilee Exhibition. – II. Furniture

    and Decoration’ (1887) 299

    38.2 ‘The Manchester Jubilee Exhibition. – III. Furniture

    and Decoration’ (1887) 304

    39 ‘A Little Shopping’ (1892) 309

    WILLIAM MORRIS

    40 The Odd Women (1893) 317

    GEORGE GISSING

    41 ‘A Few Facts About the Living-In-System’ (1894) 325

    C. R. FENDER

    42 The Musical Comedy The Shop Girl (1894–96) 335

    42.1 ‘The Royal Stores’ and ‘We’ll Proceed to Search for Ada’

    from Th e Shop Girl 337

    H. J. W. DAM

    42.2 ‘“The Shop Girl”, at the Gaiety Theatre’ (1894) 340

    43 ‘The Ethics of Shopping’ (1895) 345

    M. JEUNE [LADY JEUNE]

    44 The Parisian Diamond Company, New Premises

    at 143 Regent Street, Opposite Liberty’s

    [Advertisement] (1897) 355

    45 Texts by Margaret Bondfi eld 359

    45.1 ‘Conditions Under Which Shop Assistants Work’ (1899) 361

    45.2 ‘Christmas Shop Slaves’ (1907) 371

    46 ‘A Woman’s Shopping’ (1901) 375

    R. NEISH

    47 ‘A Woman’s Note-Book: How Shopping Affects

    Woman – and Man’ (1905) 387

    LADY PHYLLIS

    48 ‘The Design and Architectural Treatment of the

    Shop’ (1913) 391

    H. V. LANCHESTER

    49 Bainbridge, Newcastle 403

    49.1 [Advertisement for the ‘French Room’] (1846) 405

    49.2 ‘The Great Northern Exhibition of the Industry

    of All Nations’ (1851) 406

    49.3 ‘The Early Closing Association: Gathering

    of Employes of Albert House’ (1867) 408

    49.4 Memoir of Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge

    of Newcastle-on-Tyne (1893) 411

    THOMAS DARLINGTON (ED.)

    50 The Albion Bazaar, Manchester 417

    50.1 ‘New Bazaar’ (1831) 419

    50.2 ‘Joseph Joyce’ (1831) 420

    50.3 ‘Manchester Floral & Horticultural Society’ (1831) 421

    50.4 ‘Manchester Floral and Horticultural Society’ (1831) 422

    50.5 The Courier (1831) 423

    50.6 ‘John, Samuel, and James Watts’ (1832) 424

    51 Whiteley’s ‘Universal Provider’, London 425

    51.1 ‘William Whiteley’s Establishment in Westbourne-Grove,

    Paddington’ (1875) 427

    51.2 ‘Topics of the Day by the Heroes of the Hour. No.

    X. – My Success in Life. By Mr. W. Whiteley’ (1884) 429

    51.3 ‘Why Is Whiteley’s So Often Burned Down?’ (1887) 435

    52 Harrod’s, London 439

    52.1 Advertisement (1897) 441

    52.2 ‘How, When, and Where to Shop: A Day at Harrod’s,

    Limited’ (1902) 444

    52.3 Opening Stage Description and Two Songs:

    ‘Act I – Opening Chorus’ and ‘Finale – Act I’ from

    Our Miss Gibbs (1909) 448

    53 Selfridge’s, London 455

    53.1 ‘The Opening of Selfridge’s’ (1909) 457

    53.2 ‘Some Departments for Men at Selfridge’s (1909) 460

    54 ‘Citizens, Awake! Rising of Militant Women:

    Scenes Described by an Eye-Witness’ (1912) 463

    Index

    Biography

    Lise Sanders is Professor of English literature and cultural studies at Hampshire College, MA, USA

    Dr Susanne Schmid has taught at the universities FU Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Princeton, Paderborn, Salford and Regensburg