Apr 17, 2014 - Sale 2345

Sale 2345 - Lot 83

Price Realized: $ 15,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 7,500
(WINDOW DISPLAYS)
Thick album containing 250 wonderful photographs of tableaux created by a Buffalo-based window dresser for Kleinhans Co., in Buffalo, NY, which was a high-end department store and the largest men's clothier in the U.S. The pictures include sartorial displays devoted to seasonal trouser suits, neckwear, fashion knits, knitted outerwear, headware, luggage, overcoats, sportscoats, shoes and slippers; with a patriotic "tableau vivant" honoring WWI injured vets, another pitching Buffalo as a vibrant business destination, others promoting consumer banking, and a Christmas tableaux; a few were awarded prizes (which are noted below the photograph), and nearly all were shot at night. Silver prints, 6x8 inches (15.2x20.3 cm.), mounted recto/verso, and many with the date, in white pencil, on mount recto. Oblong large 4to, leathertte; contents largely disbound. 1919-1926

Additional Details

A comprehensive record of the window display, a form of visual merchandising and spectacle that was introduced at Printemps, in Paris, France and perfected in the consumer-driven culture of the United States. Buffalo-based Kleinhans Co. was an enormous retail department store that effectively used the 3-dimensional to convey a sense of elegance and style and, of course, to maximize sales. Even in the age of e-commerce and virtual pictures, window shopping continues to be a popular pastime, and the success of the window display continues to this day.