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(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, headwear, 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, leatherette; contents largely disbound. 1919-1926
[5,000/7,500]
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.
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