Jeudi Joyeuse

This stunning Art Nouveau confection is well worth braving the thronging crowds and nuclear hot interior for.

For sheer decorative bravura you cannot but admire the spectacular balconies and stained glass dome of the Galleries Lafayette, Paris. The Art Nouveau splendour is a joy to behold and one can imagine how particularly delightful it must have been when it first opened its doors in 1912 to the beautifully attired Mesdames et Messieurs who flocked to examine the novelties of one of Paris’ first department stores.

When we visited the central hall, its wonderful ceiling remained spectacular as you can see, but it was so packed with sales stands and people that we did not stay long. Aside from this the store seemed to be heated to the temperature of one of the levels of Dante’s inferno so we quickly adored and then went to enjoy the wonderful view over the rooftops of Paris from the platform at the top of the store.

Here is a little of its history…

“In 1895, Théophile Bader and his cousin Alphonse Kahn opened a fashion store in a small haberdasher’s shop at the corner of rue La Fayette and the Chaussée d’Antin, in Paris. In 1896, their company purchased the entire building at no1 rue La Fayette; in 1905 they acquired the buildings at no38, 40 and 42, boulevard Haussmann and no15 rue de la Chaussée d’Antin. Bader commissioned the architect Georges Chedanne and his pupil Ferdinand Chanut to design the store at the Haussmann location, where a glass and steel dome and Art Nouveau staircases were finished in 1912”

Hope you have a Jeudi Joyeuse!

Cee’s fun foto challenge: http://ceenphotography.com/2015/09/01/cees-fun-foto-challenge-sense-of-seeing/
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