Grands Magasins du Louvre:  History[1]

 

In 2022 the only Avery style needle case stamped with the Grands Magasins du Louvre - Paris name was discovered.  It is the Butterfly needle case pictured here, one of Avery’s most popular designs which was registered by Avery in 1871.  At first glance everyone thought it was stamped with the name of a company from Paris, France that sold items related to sewing, cloth or other fancy goods.  And why was that?  Almost all Avery needle cases found before the year 2022 were stamped with one of 70 company names, although there were a few that had no name.  Of these 70, 23 were needle manufacturers, and 47 were companies from other areas, mainly large cities like London.  The business types have been identified for 46 of these 47 companies: 18 were department stores, warehousemen, drapers or fancy goods and general merchandise sellers, 8 were cutlers, 6 were dressing case manufacturers, 4 were jewelers or jewelry merchants, 4 were dealers of needles or needle makers, 3 were stationers, 1 was a straw hat manufacturer, 1 was a pen manufacturer, 1 was an ironmonger and the occupation of the other 1 is unknown.  These 46 companies acted as licensees or agents for the actual needle manufacturers.  Past research has proven these businesses placed their company names on the exterior of the needle case, but the interior was filled with paper packets of needles that had the needle manufacturer’s name on them.  These were then sold in the company’s shops in order to promote the company’s name as well as the needle manufacturer’s name.  This was a win, win for both parties.

 

After a brief internet search, it was discovered that the Grands Magasins du Louvre was a major shopping mall in Paris during the Victorian Period with many individual shops selling a variety of items.  When translated Grands Magasins means department stores.  It seems most likely that the reason the Grands Magasins du Louvre name was stamped on this needle case was to bring attention to the shopping center and not just to a specific business there.  The postcards seen in this section are of the interior and exterior of the building during various times in its history. 

  

The Grands Magasins du Louvre was not originally constructed to be a large shopping center.  In 1855 Paris, France was selected as the place to hold a major world’s fair, 4 years after the 1851 Crystal Palace World’s Fair in London.  It became known as the Exposition Universelle of 1855 or in English the 1855 Paris Exposition.  Prior to the event the French Emperor Napoleon III ordered major work to be done in Paris hoping this fair would surpass the earlier one at Crystal Palace.  One of the projects was to build a luxury hotel to accommodate visitors to the fair.  It was to be built next to the Louvre Museum between the rue de Rivoli, the place du Palais Royal, the rue Saint-Honore and the rue de Margengo.  When the building was completed, it became known as the Grand Hotel du Louvre, a luxurious hotel that filled an entire block.  At the time it was the largest hotel in Europe with over 700 luxury rooms and 1,250 staff, plus 41 luxury shops on the ground floor to fulfill the demands of the visitors who stayed there.  The luxury shops were renamed Grand Magasins du Louvre in 1863 and much of the area became a shopping mall which by 1865 had sales that reached 15 million.  In 1875 the entire building was purchased and remodeled with interior courtyards and covered atriums to accommodate more shops in the mall, then in 1887 the hotel was closed and the area underwent another expansion. 

 

Grands Magasins du Louvre continued to thrive and undergo changes until 1943 when a RAF Lancaster airplane hit by a German defense cannon crashed into the building destroying the inside but leaving the exterior walls intact.  Although the building was repaired after the war and continued for a period of time, the shopping mall was closed permanently in 1973 when the building was sold to another party.  The new owners entirely reconstructed the interior of the building and it reopened in 1978 as the Le Louvre des Antiquaries with 240 antique shops on three levels.  It continued as such but was closed again in 2016 due to financial trouble and increasing vacancies.  Currently the building is being renovated again.  Unfortunately, because of all the changes to the Grands Magasins du Louvre over the years, it no longer has the same interior that it had during the Victorian Period. 

Although the Grande Magasins du Louvre is no longer a shopping mall, there are at least 10 other Victorian Era shopping centers that still exist today and have not substantially changed.  These include the Leadenhall Market and the Royal Exchange in London, UK, the Strand Arcade and the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Australia, the Royal Arcade in Melbourne, Australia, the Great Western Arcade in Birmingham, UK, the Argyle Arcade in Glasgow, Scotland, the Galeries Royales St. Hubert in Brussels, Belgium and three passages in Paris, France: the Galerie Vivienne, the Passage Jouffroy, and the Passage Panoramas.  Visits to these places provide interesting information about what the interior of the Grands Magasins du Louvre may have been like at various times during the Victorian Period.  A brief history and current photographs of each of these buildings can be found in later sections of this chapter.

 

 

 

Here are some views of the Le Louvre des Antiquaries today.

View from the corner of the Rue de Rivoli and Place du Palais Royal, 2025.

View from the corner of the Rue Saint-Honore and Place du Palais Royal, 2025.

 

Left: Detailed view of the Le Louvre Des Antiquaries name on the west side of the building from the Place du Palais Royal, 2025.  Right: The walkway between the front of the building and the interior section from the Place du Palais Royal, 2025. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View of the building from the north side on the Rue Saint-Honore near the Rue des Bons Enfants, 2025.

 

 

 

 

Leadenhall Market, London

Leadenhall Market can be found at Gracechurch Street in the eastern section of London, less than a mile east of St. Paul’s Cathedral.  It was first built in the 14th century and is one of the oldest markets in London.   Originally it was a meat, game and poultry market but today includes commercial retailers and clothing shops.  The roof and cobbled floors were designed in 1881.  Then in the early 1990’s the building was dramatically redecorated to look like it did during the Victorian Period.  Here are two drawings of the building from 1881 and several photographs that were taken of its interior in 2023.  As you can see the ceilings are made of glass which provides additional lighting into the interior.

 

 

 

 

Royal Exchange, London

The Royal Exchange is located at the intersection of Cornhill Street and Threadneedle Street, about half a mile east of St. Paul’s Cathedral.  It was originally built in the 16th century as the center of commerce for the City of London.  In 1571 it was ceremonially opened by Queen Elizabeth I who gave it it’s Royal title.  Unfortunately, the original building was destroyed by fire uring the Great Fire of London in 1666.  A new building was constructed by 1669, however it too was destroyed by a fire in 1838.  The building one sees today was opened by Queen Victoria in 1844.   The western front of the building consists of a portico with eight Corinthian columns supporting a pediment containing seventeen statues that represent London merchants and foreign traders.  The interior has a large open central area which now contains a restaurant surrounded by shops on three levels.  The building is quite large and fills the entire block with shops along the exterior as well which can be seen in the center of the photograph below.  These photographs were taken in 2023.

 

The Strand Arcade, Sydney

The Strand Arcade is a Victorian style retail arcade located on Pitt Street in the central business district of Sydney, Australia.  It was built between 1890 and 1892 and was named after the famous London Street that links the City of London with the City of Westminster.  When it opened it was known for its modern design and first-class shops.  Unfortunately, fires occurred in 1976 and 1980 which resulted in a partial destruction of the arcade.  When it was restored, large portions of the interior were reconstructed to match its original appearance.  The exterior facade consists of five storeys whereas the interior has three levels with an enclosed arcade on each side of a concourse with bridges across the upper levels.  This arcade has traditional-styled protruding galleries, cedar staircases, tiled floors, cast iron balusters and timber framed shop fronts.  The roof is made of tinted glass which was designed to provide light to the arcade but with a reduced glare.  The photographs seen here were taken in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

Queen Victoria Building, Sydney

This Romanesque Revival building was constructed in Sydney, Australia between 1893 and 1898.  It was named the Queen Victoria Building during its construction in 1897 t o honor the British Queen during her Diamond Jubilee.  Ninety years later, in 1987, a statue of Queen Victoria was added in front of the south entrance.  When this large block long building first opened it provided a business environment for tailors, mercers, hairdressers, florist and coffee shops as well as showrooms and a concert hall.  Over the years the building deteriorated and it was restored from 1984-1986 at a cost of $86 million and again between 2008 and 2009 at a cost of $48 million.  Inside there are two mechanical clocks with moving figures displaying scenes of English royalty and Australian history.  The photographs here were taken in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Arcade, Melbourne

The Royal Arcade was constructed on Bourke Street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia in 1869 and opened in 1870.  It was the first arcade in Melbourne and is the longest standing arcade in Australia.  This arcade is best known for its elegant light-filled interior and the large carved mythic figures of Gog and Magog which were added to the southern entrance in 1893 with a clock positioned in between them.  Each hour on the hour the arms of these two figures raise and strike bells.  These two medieval warriors watch over the southern side of the arcade and were modeled after two similar figures that watch over Guildhall in London.  They symbolize the conflict between the ancient Britons and the Trojan invaders.  The photographs below were taken in 2016.

  

  Great Western Arcade, Birmingham

This Victorian arcade is located between Colmore Row and Temple Row in Birmingham, UK. It was built in 1875-6 and was named the Great Western Arcade because it was built over the Great Western Railway line that ran from London to Birmingham.  The railway was roofed over and the arcade was built on top.  The original building was destro yed during World War II and was later rebuilt.  These photographs were taken in 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

Argyll Arcade, Glasgow

The Argyll Arcade was originally built in 1827 between Buchanan Street linking it to Argyll Street in the center of Glasgow, Scotland.  It is one of Europe’s oldest covered shopping arcades and Scotland’s first ever indoor shopping mall.  These photographs were taken in 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galeries Royales St. Hubert, Brussels

The Royal Saint-Hubert Galeries is a shopping arcade in central Brussels, Belgium that consists of three galleries: the King's Gallery (pictured below on the right), the Queen's Gallery and the Princes' Gallery.  These galleries were built between 1846 and 1847.  The shops are separated by pilasters and there are two upper floors.  These photographs were taken in 2025.

 

Galerie Vivienne, Paris

The Galerie Vivienne was built in 1823 and inaugurated in 1826 under the name Marchoux, but soon after was renamed Vivienne.  It is located between the Palais-Royal, the Paris Bourse (stock exchange) and the Grands Boulevards.  Originally it attracted many visitors with its tailor shops, cobblers, wine shop, restaurant, bookstore, draper, confectioner, print-seller, and so on.  The gallery lost part of its appeal when some of the prestigious shops moved to the Champs-Elysees.  However, since 1960, the gallery has once again become very active. It features fashion and home furnishings, and haute couture shows held there. The installation of the Jean Paul Gaultier and Yuku Torii shops in 1986 helped with the resurrection of the gallery.  It now houses many shops selling ready-to-wear and decorative items.

 

The author of this book thinks this is the most beautiful shopping arcade that she has ever visited.  And why is that?  Because of the interesting glass ceilings and the wonderfully decorated floors.  These photographs were taken in 2025.

 

Left: view of the gallery entrance on the Rue des Petits Champs.  Right: the rotunda and cupola.

 

 

More views of the interior of the Galerie Vivienne.

Passage Jouffroy, Paris

he Passage Jouffroy is one of several Victorian Era shopping centers built in the 9^th arrondissement district of Paris, France.  It is located between the Boulevard Montmaretre on the south and the Rue de la Grange-Batelière on the north.  Like most other shopping malls from the mid to late 19^th century, it is covered by a canopy of metal and glass.  The Passage Jouffroy was built in 1845 along the line of the Passage des Panoramas in order to capitalize on the popularity of the latter whose entrance is on the other side of the Boulevard Montmaretre.  The floor is paved with a geometric pattern composed of white, gray and black squares.  The Passage Jouffroy represents an important stage in the technological evolution of the 19th century and the mastery of iron structures. It is the first Parisian passage built entirely of metal and glass.  Only the decorative elements are wooden. It is also the first passage heated by the ground.  These photographs were taken in 2025.

 

 

 

Passage Panoramas, Paris

The Passage des Panoramas is the oldest of the covered shopping arcades in Paris.  It is located between the Boulevard Montmartre on the north and the Rue Saint-Marc on the south.  It was built in 1799 and opened in 1800, becoming the first covered commercial passageway in Europe. By 1867, there were approximately 183 covered passages in Paris but many were demolished during the Haussmann’s renovation of Paris.   Only 25 survived into the 21st century and all but one are in the district on the right bank of the Seine River.  These photographs were taken in 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Other Interesting Places to Visit in Paris Related to Avery Needle Cases

No visit to Paris would be complete for someone interested in Avery needle cases without a stop at two of the city’s most popular historical sites, the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.    And why is that?  During the Victorian Period W. Avery and Son, the needle manufacturer from Redditch, England, registered two unique needle case designs t hat represent these two buildings.

 

A current view of the Arc de Triomphe is seen below along with the Avery needle cases shaped like it.  Avery registered the Arc de Triomphe needle case in 1879[2], just months after the 1878 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris.  It seems most likely that Avery got the idea for this needle case after having a booth at the fair[3] and seeing what one of his competitors was selling in their booth.  W. Bartlett & Son created a needle case specifically for the fair which was named the Arts & Industry[4] with the words “Souvenir de l'Exposition 1878” inscribed on it (pictured below on the left).   It must have been a popular souvenir for middle- and upper-class women who attended the fair and stitched during the Victorian Period.  After the fair ended and Avery was back in England, he decided to create the Arc de Triomphe needle case because at the time is was one of the top tourist attractions in Paris.  The actual Arc de Triomphe[5] was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806; however, it wasn’t completed until 1836.  It was designed in the neo-classical style and was based on the famous Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy.  The arch honors those who fought and died for France during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. The Arc de Triomphe monument is located in the middle of the Place Charles de Gaulle,  a circular square on the west bank of the Seine River on the famous Champs-Elyséess.  Visiting the actual Arc de Triomphe will make the needle case in your collection even more special.

 

The second Avery style needle case is based on the famous Parisian building known as the Eiffel Tower.  Avery registered the design in 1888[6] and had it manufactured in time for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris.  The actual Eiffel Tower[7] was designed by the French structural engineer Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Exposition Universelle.  A competition was held in 1884 to design the expositions centerpiece structure.  Several years later in 1886, Mr. Eiffel’s tower was selected as the winner of the competition. Although construction began in early 1887, it wasn’t totally accessible to the public until nine days after the exposition opened in May 1889 due to difficulties involving the elevators.  The Eiffel Tower is located  at the Champ de Mars on the east side of the Seine River across the river from the Trocadéro.  It is the tallest building in Paris and one of the most recognized structures in the world.  This is what the building looks like today (right).