Galeries Lafayette Unearths Its Storied Past: A Look Inside the Grand Department Store's Hidden Archives
Nestled at the zenith of Galeries Lafayette Haussmann lies a hidden treasure: its extensive archives. Spanning from 1894 to the present day, these meticulously preserved records and artifacts have profoundly shaped the identity of the Galeries Lafayette group throughout its rich history. As the youngest of Paris's grand department stores, now a global presence, Galeries Lafayette remains deeply rooted in the French capital, evolving into both a custodian of historical memory and a vibrant cultural contributor.
Guiding this cultural endeavor is Cécile Larrigaldie, the group's director of cultural engagement. Her work is structured around three core pillars: the archives, managed in collaboration with Bastien Salva; patronage, overseen with Mathilde Gleyo; and artistic initiatives, supported by Pauline Toulouzou. Larrigaldie, with a background in contemporary art, describes her entry into the world of archives as a "somewhat fortuitous" yet remarkably successful journey. Her involvement began in 2013 during the Galeries Lafayette Foundation project alongside François Quintin and Guillaume Houzé, where she spearheaded the newly formed Artistic Actions department, which later expanded to encompass patronage and heritage.
The historical collection is vast and diverse, encompassing both tangible objects and extensive paper records. On the store's ninth floor, 350 items of furniture—including period counters, cash registers, racks, hangers, and artisanal objects like vases—are meticulously preserved. Alongside these are approximately 150 fashion and ready-to-wear pieces, dating from 1900 to the present day. A visit might reveal, for instance, a 1920s dress, carefully conserved and accompanied by a photograph from the wedding where it was worn, offering a poignant glimpse into its past life.
Complementing these physical artifacts are hundreds of linear meters of paper archives. These include minutes from Galeries Lafayette's inaugural board meetings, comprehensive company filings, legal reports, detailed sales records, and employee-related documents that chronicle key historical periods. The collection also features architectural projects, both realized and conceptualized, which Cécile Larrigaldie evocatively describes as an "imaginary museum." Notably, employees historically developed a habit of preserving documents, resulting in the astonishing survival of the first Galeries Lafayette catalogue, dated 1926.
The iconic Haussmann store serves as the primary repository for all ready-to-wear archives and three-quarters of the paper collections. However, for the more fragile objects and furniture, only select pieces are kept within the store under controlled humidity and constant temperatures. Larger items, such as the original counters or sections of the majestic Majorelle staircase, necessitate storage in a specialized warehouse located in the Île-de-France region.
The formalized archiving effort at Galeries Lafayette is a relatively recent initiative, commencing in 2008 with the establishment of the Heritage Department by Guillaume Houzé. Prior to this, Larrigaldie notes, a strong "notion of transmission" already existed within the department store, which had welcomed multiple generations of employees. She recounts instances where, at farewell gatherings, retiring employees would meticulously archive their entire careers and donate these personal histories to the company, underscoring an inherent understanding of legacy.
By 2010, faced with a growing influx of historical materials, the group implemented a rigorous policy to select and retain only items suitable for long-term preservation and future utility. This necessitated a careful evaluation of the existing collection, as "not all of them met inventory standards," as explained by the director of cultural engagement. This strategic filtering ensured that the archives would consist of high-quality, relevant materials.
From 2008 to 2020, Galeries Lafayette dedicated significant efforts to establishing a robust inventory and cataloguing process. This ongoing endeavor involves acquiring new items through various channels: donations from employees and customers, and purchases from private individuals or at auction. In the near future, Cécile Larrigaldie and Bastien Salva are slated to participate in a sale featuring pieces created by Ghislaine de Polignac, Galeries Lafayette's long-serving artistic director, to further enrich the collection.
"The principle is to acquire pieces that are missing and that allow us to illustrate a whole part of history that we haven't been able to cover," Larrigaldie emphasizes. A strategic approach guides acquisitions, particularly for the ready-to-wear collection, to prevent unnecessary overlaps. The team meticulously consults Galeries Lafayette's historical catalogues, employing a "mise en abyme" approach to identify and acquire the specific pieces illustrated within them, ensuring each new addition fills a genuine historical gap.
Since 2020, a crucial new mission has emerged: moving beyond mere preservation to actively "creating the archives of tomorrow by showcasing the collection." This phase largely involves lending pieces for external exhibitions. Last year alone, 500 items were lent to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, including nearly 300 objects and documents such as postcards, promotional items, and garment components. Additionally, the Cité de l'Architecture borrowed significant pieces, including a section of the handrail from the iconic Majorelle staircase.
As the archive rooms are periodically emptied for these exhibitions, Cécile Larrigaldie and Bastien Salva have increasingly recognized that this is far more than a mere collection of a private company. "When our national museums tackle the subject of the decorative arts, the construction of Paris, or Baron Haussmann's breakthroughs in Paris, the department store comes up straight away," Larrigaldie observes. The archives possess a unique status, testifying to the evolution of consumption and society on a city-wide and national scale.
This realization underpins Larrigaldie’s vision for her teams: "I want you to have in mind the loans we'll be making in 2100 for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs," she reiterates, stressing the importance of not exclusively focusing on past eras. Already, contemporary pieces are being integrated into the collection, such as a chair by Benoît Maire, a multi-socket power strip by Marion Verboom in enameled lava stone, and a coat hook by Pascale Marthine Tayou in turned and lacquered wood. These objects, bridging art and everyday life, are created as part of Galeries Lafayette's Savoir Faire Savoir program. They "testify to the company's links with the creators of its time and to the principle of commissioning, which is inherent in the department store, since the first commission was placed by Théophile Bader with Jacques Gruber for the dome," Larrigaldie adds, highlighting a continuity of artistic patronage.
As a witness to French history since its founding in 1893, Galeries Lafayette's archives reveal disparities across different eras. The early 20th century, for instance, is rich with numerous catalogues, a stark contrast to the less frequent and slimmer versions produced today. Archiving efforts have also been significantly impacted by periods of crisis. A notable gap exists for items from the Second World War due to widespread destruction, a shortfall not unique to Galeries Lafayette. The department store actively collaborates and exchanges information with its counterparts, including Samaritaine, BHV, Bon Marché, and Printemps, to collectively address these historical voids.
"There's a lot of work involved in understanding and deciphering this period," explains Larrigaldie. "We often ask each other whether we can find archives that were destined for us." To reconstruct context and knowledge from this challenging era, the team also broadens its scope by consulting national, municipal, and warehouse archives. For such periods, the focus shifts from merely hunting for surviving documents to a broader effort of contextual reconstruction.
Larrigaldie also points out that many objects from the post-war period were inherently unsuited for collecting. "Furniture was inflatable, collapsible... People needed that; they needed lightness; they went on holiday, they went camping," she notes. Even in the store, inflatable display stands were common. "These are typically objects we don't collect because they degrade quickly in everyday use." This phenomenon reflects a significant evolution in consumer trends and product design, where functionality and rationality often supersede durability, posing unique challenges for historical preservation.
Slowly but surely, Galeries Lafayette's immense and dedicated archiving work is making it possible to grasp the full historical panorama of this iconic department store. Through its evolving collection of posters, fashion, and administrative documents, Galeries Lafayette emerges not merely as a passive witness, but as an active and central player in the rich history of commerce in France.
