Emporium Collection

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

Emporium. 570 BC. Asclepius, god of medicin. Neapolis. Girona province. Catalonia. Spain

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

Railway alongside Cranberry lake, NY State, USA
Men at work on the new railway at the side of Cranberry Lake, near Childwold, New York State, USA, constructed for the Emporium Lumber Company. Date: circa 1913

The International Exhibition: Honiton lace flounce by Debenham, Son, and Freebody... 1862. Creator: Unknown
The International Exhibition: Honiton lace flounce by Debenham, Son, and Freebody of Wigmore-street, 1862. The design consists of applique bouquets of English flowers

Petropavlovsk: Supermarket, 1904-1914. Creator: Unknown
Petropavlovsk: Supermarket, 1904-1914. National Library of Russia

Petropavlovsk: Supermarket, 1904-1914. Creator: Unknown
Petropavlovsk: Supermarket, 1904-1914. National Library of Russia

Main street, Saturday afternoon, Pittsboro, North Carolina, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Main street, Saturday afternoon. Pittsboro, North Carolina

Saturday afternoon - shopping and visiting on main street of Pittsboro, North Carolina, 1939. Creator: Dorothea Lange
Shopping and visiting on main street of Pittsboro, North Carolina. Saturday afternoon

Schlesinger and Mayer Company Store, Chicago, Illinois, Baluster, 1898-1899

The Fair Store: Block with Central Shell Shape from Facade, 1890 / 91, addition 1896-97
The Fair Store: Block with Central Shell Shape from Facade, 1890/91, addition 1896-97

The butcher's family
Marco Tagliarino

Liberty Bottle, 1935 / 1942. Creator: Maud M Holme
Liberty Bottle, 1935/1942

Advertisement for Cross - Wild Beast Merchant, Liverpool. " Anything from A Humming Bird to an Elephant " Date: 1907

Albert E. Jamrach, London dealer in exotic wildlife
Albert E. Jamrach (?-1917) - he continued the family business started by his Father Charles, an exotic pet store on the Ratcliffe Highway in east London at the time the largest such shop in

Charles Jamrach, London dealer in wildlife, birds and shells
Charles Jamrach (1815-1891) - a leading dealer in wildlife, birds and shells in 19th-century London. He owned an exotic pet store on the Ratcliffe Highway in east London at the time the largest such

William Whiteley, department store founder
William Whiteley, founder of the department store in Westbourne Grove, West London. late 19th century

City Hall Square and Wanamaker Building, 1912. Creator: Joseph Pennell
City Hall Square and Wanamaker Building, 1912

Wertheim, Leipziger-Platz, Berlin, 1921. Creator: Joseph Pennell
Wertheim, Leipziger-Platz, Berlin, 1921

Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
circa 1910s

Chap. III: C est Superbe! (How Wonderful!), 1824. Creator: Victor Adam
Chap. III: C est Superbe! (How Wonderful!), 1824

The Opening of Selfridge s, 1909, (1933). Creator: Unknown
The Opening of Selfridge s, 1909, (1933). View of Selfridges department store in Oxford Street, London. The shop, founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge and designed by Daniel Burnham of Chicago

Oxford Street, c1910s. Creator: Eyre & Spottiswoode
Oxford Street, c1910s. View of Selfridges department store on Londons famous shopping street. The building was opened in 1909

Receipt from Hubbards department store, 1921. Creator: Unknown
Receipt from Hubbards department store, 1921. Receipt issued by Hubbards of South Street in Worthing, Sussex

Armchair of polished mahogany, by Nils Enstrom made by AB Ferd. Lundquist & Co
Armchair of polished mahogany, designed by Nils Enstrom and made by AB Ferd. Lundquist & Co. 1949. From " Decorative Art 1949 - The Studio Year Book"

Dining-room group by Hayes Marshall for Fortnum & Mason Ltd. London, 1937 Creator: Unknown
Dining-room group in yellow, black and white, designed by Hayes Marshall for Fortnum & Mason Ltd. London, 1937. From " Decorative Art 1937 - Thirty-Second Annual Issue of the Studio Year

Dinner-table arranged by Harrods Ltd. London, 1937. Creator: Unknown
Dinner-table arranged by Harrods Ltd. London, 1937. From " Decorative Art 1937 - Thirty-Second Annual Issue of the Studio Year Book", edited by C.G. Holme

Dining-room in sang-de-boeuf lacquer, by Hayes Marshall for Fortnum & Mason Ltd
Dining-room in sang-de-boeuf lacquer, designed by Hayes Marshall for Fortnum & Mason Ltd. London, 1937. From " Decorative Art 1937 - Thirty-Second Annual Issue of the Studio Year Book"

Tottenham Court Road, London, 1906. Creator: Unknown
Tottenham Court Road, London, 1906. On the right are the premises of James Shoolbred & Co, draper and later a department store. Hand-coloured postcard

London. Knightbridge, 1906. Creator: Unknown
London. Knightbridge, 1906. Equestrian statue of Lord Strathnairn in front of Harvey Nichols department store on the Brompton Road, London. The statue was unveiled in 1895

Selfridges and the last of the old Oxford Street shops that the building engulfed, c1935. Selfridges department store on Oxford Street in central London, famous for shopping

East India House, Libertys Individualised Frontage on the New Regent Street, c1935. View of Libertys department store in central London

Part of Libertys Tudor Building in Great Marlborough Street, c1935. Creator: Joel
Part of Libertys Tudor Building in Great Marlborough Street, c1935. Libertys department store in Great Marlborough Street, central London

Rowe & Coy. Ltd. Rangoon Premises, 1900. Creator: Unknown
Rowe & Coy. Ltd. Rangoon Premises, 1900. British colonial emporia or department stores in Rangoon. From " Typical Photographs of Burma - Burmese Life and Scenes". [Rowe & Co. Ltd

Dining-room, 1940
F. Yorke Smith for Harrods Ltd - The walls of this dining-room are pine papered and distempered, 1940. Furniture, modern walnut showing Regency influence, embroidered chairs, Wedgwood table service

Mr. J. C. Pritchards sitting-room in the Isokon Lawn Road Flats, 1936
Mr. J. C. Pritchards sitting-room in the Isokon Lawn Road Flats, London, England, designed by Wells Coates, 1936. Walls in panelled Venesta birch, carpet by Heal & Son Ltd

Waucquez Stores, 20 Rue des Sables, Brussels, Belgium, (1905), c2014-2017. Artist
Waucquez Stores, 20 Rue des Sables, Brussels, Belgium, c2014-2017. Victor Horta: 1906

Grandes Magasins De Blanc, 32-34 Rue du Marche au Poulets, Brussels, (1896-1897), c2014-2017
Grandes Magasins De Blanc, 32-34 Rue du Marche au Poulets, Brussels, Belgium, c2014-2017. Oscar Francois: 1896; Henri Privat-Livement (exterior): 1897

Museum of Musical Instruments, Brussels, Belgium, (1877), c2014-2017. Artist: Alan John Ainsworth
Museum of Musical Instruments, Brussels, Belgium, c2014-2017. Rue Montaigne De La Cour. Formerly Old England Department Store, Paul Saintenoy Architect, 1899

Waucquez Stores, (1905), Brussels, Belgium, c2014-2017 Artist: Alan John Ainsworth
Waucquez Stores, Brussels, Belgium, c2014-2017. Victor Horta

The Tower-Flanked Mass of the Karstadthaus Built in a Working-Class District, c1935. From Our Wonderful World, Volume I, edited by J.A. Hammerton. [The Amalgamated Press, Ltd. London]

Pedestrians outside DH Evans, Oxford Street, London, 1903
Pedestrians outside DH Evans, 292-320 Oxford Street, London, 1903. People walking in front of the shop under sun blinds, with a horse-drawn double-decker bus and carriages passing in the road

Traffic at Oxford Circus, London, 1910. Open-topped double-decker horse-drawn buses, motor cabs, cars, horse-drawn carriages and a protruding flag at the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street

Walshs department store in Sheffield prior to its redevelopment, South Yorkshire, 1966. The front of the store was to be demolished

Walshs department store in Sheffield during its redevelopment, South Yorkshire, 1967
Completed Walshs department store redevelopment, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1967. The front of the store was demolished and rebuilt to accommodate the new road junction

Atkinsons department store under construction, the Moor, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 1959. The photograph shows the progress of the building of Atkinsons department store in central Sheffield

Woolworths, Barnsley store, South Yorkshire, 1971. Artist: Michael Walters
Woolworths, Barnsley store, South Yorkshire, 1971. The Barnsley branch of FW Woolworths showing an early 1970s design which was typical of the time

Ladies clothing department, Barnsley Co-op, South Yorkshire, 1957. Women customers survey some of the elegant fashions on display

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Step into the world of emporiums, where history and commerce intertwine. From the grand opening of Whiteleys department store in 1911 to the bustling main street of Pittsboro, North Carolina in 1939, these emporiums have left an indelible mark on society. Travel back to Emporium in 570 BC, a Greek colony where trade flourished under the watchful eye of Asclepius, god of medicine. In Neapolis, Girona province, Catalonia, Spain stands another testament to ancient commerce. Picture yourself strolling along a railway alongside Cranberry Lake in New York State. The tranquil surroundings juxtapose with the vibrant energy found within an emporium's walls. Schlesinger and Mayer Company Store in Chicago captures the essence of late 19th-century opulence with its baluster design. Meanwhile, The Fair Store boasts a central shell shape that adds elegance to its facade from 1890/91 onwards. Immerse yourself in Dorothea Lange's lens as she captures Saturday afternoons filled with shopping and visiting on Pittsboro's main street. These snapshots freeze moments that transport us back to simpler times. The butcher's family reminds us that behind every transaction lies human connection—a reminder that even amidst commercial transactions, relationships are formed and nurtured. Marvel at Maud M Holme's Liberty Bottle from 1935/1942—an exquisite piece showcasing craftsmanship intertwined with functionality. It serves as a symbol for how artistry can elevate everyday objects into works of beauty. Advertisements for Cross-Wild Beast Merchant by Liverpool or Albert E. Jamrach's exotic wildlife dealership evoke images of adventure and discovery—testaments to how emporiums brought far-flung wonders closer to home. Emporiums have always been more than just stores.