Show Windows. 75 Years of the Art of Display
New York: Congdon & Weed, Inc., 1983. 1st Paperback Edition. Oblong quarto, publisher's stiff photo-illustrated paper wraps.
First paperback edition of Barry James Wood’s visual history of American storefront merchandising. After discovering an extensive archive of archival photographs in the basement of the New York’s B. Altman & Co. department store, Wood went on to expand his research to the art of window dressing across the US from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. The present volume details the evolution from traditional "storerooms" to elaborate narrative scenes, chronicles the aesthetics of storefronts from the ornate displays of the early 20th century to the mod, pop-inspired aesthetics of the 1960s and 70s, and features legendary window artists such as Gene Moore of Bonwit Teller and Frank Myers of Carson Pirie Scott. Illustrated with color and black-and-white plates; with text by Wood and a bibliography. Originally published in hardcover in 1982. Minor edgewear to wraps. Near fine. Item #13186
$65.00