I visited the holiday window displays at Lord & Taylor. Lord & Taylor was the first retail store to create special holiday window displays that didn’t include merchandise. In these cynical days, it amazes me that they still do it.
The flagship store on 5th Avenue and 39th Street opened in 1914 and has been designated a New York City landmark. It’s a beautiful building but it’s one of those stores, like Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany & Co., that I stay the hell out of because of the intimidation factor.
Here are a few shots of the 2009 displays. Click on one or two of them. They’re pretty impressive. There’s a lot of old-world slow-moving animatronics. The work is miniature and finely detailed and I believe it has true artistic merit, but I think a lot of kids in this day and age would find it kind of dull. It’s a shame.
Exile on Pain Street 
thank you, again, for this. i adore miniatures (well, in displays such as this). especially the last one – faceless snowman and creepy nutcracker!
Those are beautiful…thanks for sharing them. I think I’ll take my handy dandy camera out for a spin around Franklin tomorrow night to show the antithesis of NYC–otherwise known at Main Street in Franklin.
Just had a major flashback/reminder by you posting this. Ohhh, how wonderful these dioramas are in person. I’m a huge fan of Joseph Cornell and where his boxes fall into the abstract, surreal variety, these are an assortment of ‘representational’ works. Whether it be Cornell or Lord & Taylor, each kind serve as openings to dreamworlds for getting lost within….Thanks for posting. Yet another reason I pine for at least one trip a year north to The City…..
Daisy: The last one is a bad pic. The woman’s face is hidden by a top hat. It was on a rotating base and it’s a bad angle.HIF: I’d love to see some pics of TN.Jay Z: Soon you’ll be just across the river. Opportunity is knocking!
I don’t know about little boys, but I think all little girls would love these tableaux
I always enjoy Lord & Taylor’s classic windows. Sometimes they are a little dusty and threadbare but still very nice.