Department Collection

Whiteleys department store, Queens Road, Bayswater, London
The new Whiteleys department store in Queens Road, Bayswater, West London, grand opening, with a banner, Welcome to the Lord Mayor. Date: circa 1911

Borgfeldt Department Store, New York
Building, George Borgfeldt Co. Photograph of a watercolor architectural rendering of the George Borgfeldt Building at Irving Place and East 16th Street; signed James Reily Gordon

Frederick Gorringes, London Department Store
The premises of Frederick Gorringes Ltd. - Buckingham Palace Road, London. A fine Department Store, opened in the early 1900s and closed sometime after 1960

Fortnum & Mason
The Fortnum and Mason lettering sign above the door of the famous store, selling luxury goods of all description, Piccadilly, London. Date: 1960s

Fortnum & Masons Christmas Box for soldiers, WW1
Advertisement for quintessential London department store, Fortnum & Mason, in particular their Thirty Shilling Xmas Box of selected provisions which could be sent to the front for lucky soldiers

Bullocks Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA
Vintage linen postcard showing a night view of Bullocks Art Deco style department store on Wilshire in Los Angeles

Hitchin, Herts 1940S
The corner of Bridge Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where the speed limit for W.D. (War Department) vehicles is 15 m.p.h. The Half Moon pub, sells Noted Luton Ales, too

Bourne & Hollingsworth, Oxford Street, London
Bourne & Hollingsworth department store, Oxford Street, London. Date: circa 1920

Derry and Toms Poster
Poster for Derry & Toms department store, Kensington High Street, London

Reading, Royal County of Berkshire - Tram on the Bath Road, advertising the Heelas Store on Broad Street (now John Lewis). Date: 1907

Henry Simonis & Co fire appliance, Nuremberg, Germany
A Henry Simonis & Co fire appliance, parked on a street in Nuremberg, Germany

COMPARATIVE EMBRYOLOGY. Chart showing comparative embryology from a fish to a man, made by the Department of Comparative and Human Anatomy at the American Museum of Natural History, 1932

Selfridges, London 1909
Selfridges, Oxford Street, London

HARRODS 1953
A large expensive car approaches the Knightsbridge store, which is now somewhat larger than the original grocers shop of 1849

Bank and shops, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
Wyoming Valley Trust Company and Second National Bank (left) and Jonas Longs Sons department store, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. Date: circa 1907

London Fire Brigade - 19th Century - Horse-drawn steam pump
Off to the Fire London Fire Brigade - 19th Century - Horse-drawn steam pump

Opening of Whiteleys department store, 1911
Two pictures reporting on the opening of Whiteleys department store in Bayswater, West London in at the end of November 1911

John Lewis, founder of the department store
John Lewis (1836 - 1928), founder of John Lewis department store on Oxford Street, London

Harrods department store in Knightsbridge London UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

Waring & Gillow, London
The exterior of Waring & Gillow, Oxford Street, London

LIBERTY S, LONDON 1920S
Libertys of London

Hitchin, Herts 1940S
The corner of Bridge Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, where the speed limit for W.D. (War Department) vehicles is 15 m.p.h. A horse and cart keeps strictly to this limit

Marshall & Snelgrove
The Marshall & Snelgrove department store on Oxford Street, London

Selfridges Exterior 30S
An exterior view of Selfridges department store on Londons Oxford Street

Shoolbred Store, London
Shoolbred department store, Tottenham Court Road, London

Harrods Exterior
An exterior view of Harrods, London Date: circa 1900

Selfridges, London 1909
Selfridges, Oxford Street, London

Corner View of Harrods
The elegant facade of Harrods is matched by the elegance of its customers

Electrical Magnet appliances 1929
Products from the Harrods catalogue electrical department, including Magnet, irons, kettles, shaving pot, milk sterilizer, coffee percolator, water boiler, toaster, griller and toaster, towel rail

Harrods toy department, rocking horses, 1922
A uniform display of wooden rocking horses and smaller toy horses on wheels in the Harrods toy department, Christmas 1922. Date: 1922

Back cover of William Tarn and Co.s Illustrated Catalogue
William Tarn and Co.s Illustrated Catalogue, containing 202 pages including the front and back covers, with black and white and colour illustrations including designs for ceilings and dados

D H Evans, Oxford Street, London
D H Evans department store, Oxford Street, London. circa 1910s

Shaftesbury Homes - Farm School for Boys, Bisley, Surrey
The Bisley Farm School for Boys, established by what became the Shaftesbury Homes charity. It later became known as the School House department of Shaftesbury School. Date: 1930s

Advertisement for T. B. and W. Cockayne, Department Store, Angel Street winter sale
Original at Sheffield Local Studies Library: MP Folder 62

Ruins of the Sans-Souci Palace at Milot, Haiti
The overgrown ruins of the Sans-Souci Palace was the royal residence of King Henri I of Haiti, Queen Marie-Louise and their two daughters at Milot, Haiti

Henry Simonis & Co fire appliances, Nuremberg, Germany
Two Henry Simonis & Co fire appliances on a street in Nuremberg, Germany

Marks & Spencer Front
The elegant shop front of a branch of Marks & Spencer Ltd. Date: circa 1910

Electric Fires 1929
Electrical heaters give cosy warmth instantly day and night no fumes no smoke, products for Harrods catalogue electrical department. 1929

Trade catalogue for copper moulds with tin lining 1911
Trade catalogue for Harrords department store, showing round fluted copper moulds with tin inside. Date: 1911

Carantec, Brittany, France, Crevette fishergirls
Carante cin the Finistere department of Brittany in north-western France - Crevette fishergirls. Date: circa 1910s

The Selfridge family at Highcliffe Castle, 1921. From left to right: Gordon Selfridge Junior, Isadora Duncan, Vicomte de Sibour (sitting)

Selfridges, London - Confectionery Section
Selfridges & Co, Oxford Street, London - Confectionery Section. Founded by American-born retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge (1858 - 1947), the Flagship store in Oxford Street was opened in 1909

Ouija Board Danger
The Ouija Board - Doorway to the Occult - by Edmund C Gruss, chairman of the Department of History at Los Angeles Baptist College at Newhall, California

Selfridges Roof Garden Restaurant, London, 1910
Illustration showing the diners at Selfridges department stores roof garden restaurant, London, 1910

Selfridges Department Store, London, c. 1908
Illustration showing the architects design for Selfridges Department Store in Oxford Street, London, c.1908 when the store was being built

Grand Leader Co Department Store, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Grand Leader Co Department Store, West 22nd Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Date: circa 1910

John Lewis, Oxford Street, London
John Lewis department store, Oxford Street, London. Date: circa 1905

Leaflet advertising Remembrance Day, 11th November 1927. Wear a Flanders Poppy - British Legion Appeals Department, 26 Eccleston Square, London SW1. Commemorative Art

Trade catalogue for jelly and cake moulds 1911
Trade catalogue for Harrords department store, showing jelly and cake moulds in a variety of shapes. Date: 1911

LA Samaritaine, Paris
The Samaritaine, in the rue de Rivoli, is still Pariss biggest and best department store. (on the reverse of this card are portraits of the founders of the store.)

Harry Pollitt, Communist Party leader, with Mao Zedong
Harry Pollitt (1890-1960), Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, and head of its trade union department. Seen here shaking hands with the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976)

Harry Pollitt, Secretary of the Communist Party
Harry Pollitt (1890-1960), Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, and head of its trade union department. Date: circa 1950s

Saint-Juvin, France
Saint-Juvin - a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Sent back to Germany, possibly by a German soldier on active service in France during WW1

Harrods toy department, dolls houses, 1922
Fantastic array of dolls houses in all shapes and sizes available to buy at Christmas from the Harrods Toy Department Date: 1922

Europe, France, Occitanie. The medieval village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert in the Herault river valley

Wilson, NC, USA - Oettingers The Dependable Store
Wilson, North Carolina, USA - Oettingers - The Dependable Store. The leading store of the town with the slogan: " It pays to Deal at Oettinger s"

Beaulieu-sur-Mer - La Pointe Fourmie - French Riviera. Date: circa 1910s

Harrods Exterior 1929
The exterior of Harrods, London Date: 1929

Sete, France - The Harbour and Town
Sete, France, in the Herault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France - a lovely view of the Harbour and the town. Date: circa 1910s

The past is behind us, the future is ahead. Let us all strive to make the future better and brighter than the past ever was. Soldier shaking hands with worker holding sledgehammer. Date 1918

A court dress to curtsey in from Harvey Nichols, 1935
Advertisement for the department store, Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge, London, advertising a gown of classic simplicity to wear to a court presentation

Queen Alexandra and Crown Prince Olav, London
Queen Alexandra (1844-1925) and her grandson, Crown Prince Olav of Norway (1903-1991), leaving the newly opened Whiteleys Store in Bayswater, West London

The General Strike - Government leaders
Government leaders during the General Strike: Ministers and Commissioners. 1. Chief Civil Commissioner: Sir W. Mitchell-Thomson, 2. Principal Chief Assistant Commissioner, Mr. A. B. Lowry, 3

The London Symphony Orchestra playing at Harrods, London, 19
Illustration showing the London Symphony Orchestra playing in Harrods, during the department stores Diamond Jubilee celebrations, 1909

Peter Jones, London
MR. PETER JONES, GENERAL DRAPER, SILK MERCER, OUT FITTER AND FURNISHER. The Sloane Square shopping emporium in the late 19th century

Au Bon Marche, Rue du Bac, Paris, France
Exterior view of the Au Bon Marche department store in the Rue du Bac, Paris, France

de Havilland DH. 104 Dove 6 G-ANUU
de Havilland DH.104 Dove 6 G-ANUU (msn 04455) of the Civil Aviation Flying Unit. G-ANUU flew with the Board of Trade - Department of Trade

Our Boys Clothing Company, riding and top boots
Our Boys Clothing Company riding and top boots. Date: c.1895

Advert for Dickins & Jones womens winter sports wear 1928
Dickins & Jones, winter sports department, helping you choose the correct outfits for the season. 1928

Harrods advertisement Yves St Laurent dress
Advertisement for London department store, Harrods, featuring a knee length, long-sleeved shift dress designed by Yves St Laurent but made in London exclusively for Harrods

Canadian Fire Department
Canadian fire services and engine Date: 1950s

Westbourne Grove
Whiteleys department store in Westbourne Grove

The Foreign Office seen from St. Jamess Park, London, England in the 19th century. From London Pictures, published 1890

Robinsons Store
July 1923: Peter Robinsons department store in Oxford Circus, London. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Plougastel-Daoulas, Finistere, Brittany
Traditional local costume and house interior at Plougastel-Daoulas - a commune in the Finistere department of Brittany in north-western France. Date: circa 1930s

Washington DC, USA - The Interior Department Building Date: 1920

Corsica, A view of Vivario
A view of Vivario in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. Date: circa 1903

Aerial view of the Bristol Aero Engine Department factory and offices, September 1936

Home safety is home defense Men: to learn proper fire control join the fire department auxiliary corps at the nearest fire house

Headquarters of the New York Fire Department, Brooklyn

Advertisement for Selfridges childrens clothes
His First Pair -- advertisement for Selfridges childrens clothes, with a silhouette of four children and a dog. One little boy is wearing his first pair of shoes

Wardrobe Department
Ladies in the Wardrobe Department of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. Date: 1960s

NPL headquarters, 1906
NPL headquarters. Bushy House, the NPL (National Physical Laboratory) headquarters, not only contained numerous research laboratories but also was the venue of NPL staff garden parties

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"Exploring the Rich History of Department Stores: From Fortnum & Mason to Selfridges" Step into a world of luxury and elegance as we delve into the captivating history stores. Starting with Fortnum & Mason, a renowned British institution since 1707, which has delighted shoppers with its exquisite offerings for centuries. Frederick Gorringes, London Department Store, stands tall as an iconic shopping destination that has witnessed the ever-changing trends and tastes of Londoners throughout the years. Its grandeur and opulence have made it a beloved landmark in the city. Transporting us back to Hitchin, Herts in the 1940s, we discover how department stores like Derry and Toms Poster played an integral role in bringing joy during challenging times. Their resilience and commitment to serving their communities were truly commendable. During World War I, Fortnum & Mason's Christmas Box for soldiers brought comfort to those fighting on foreign soil. This heartwarming gesture showcased not only their generosity but also their dedication to supporting our brave servicemen. Across continents, Bullocks Wilshire in Los Angeles stood as a symbol of glamour and sophistication. It epitomized Hollywood's golden era while offering unparalleled shopping experiences to its discerning clientele. Bourne & Hollingsworth on Oxford Street holds stories within its walls that whisper tales from bygone eras. A witness to countless fashion revolutions and societal shifts – this store remains an emblematic presence amidst London's bustling retail scene. Traveling across oceans brings us to Bank and shops in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – a vibrant hub where locals found everything they needed under one roof. These establishments became community pillars fostering connections between neighbors. In Nuremberg, Germany Henry Simonis & Co fire appliance served not only as a department store but also demonstrated how businesses can adapt beyond traditional roles by providing essential services during emergencies—a testament to resilience amid adversity.