Departement Stores

An exhibition on the evolution of department stores since their creation in the mid-19th century.

The exhibition La Saga des grands magasins, presented at the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine in Paris, traces the development of department stores from their creation in the mid-19th century to the present day. Invented during the Second Empire, department stores offer a unique shopping experience in an exceptional architectural setting. The exhibition looks at their future, from the sumptuous period of 1850 to 1930, to competition from supermarkets, and reveals how department stores have managed to reinvent themselves.