Glimpses of a lost age

2:54pm Friday 9th May 2008

PARIS and shopping may seem like they were made for one another, but have you ever wondered how the art of retail therapy worked in the 18th Century? Thanks to a new exhibition at Waddesdon Manor, visitors are finding out just that.

After almost three years in the making, Waddesdon recently unveiled its latest collection, All That Glitters: Advertising and Shopping in 18th Century Paris.

"I think this exhibition brings home the idea of shopping in another century and in many ways is quite fascinating."

Curator Rachel Boak

Visitors to the exhibition can discover more about the interiors of Parisian shops and their customers, who were buying everything from hats and accessories to sweets and pastries, drugs, tools, fans, paper and paints.

The exhibition was inspired chiefly by a project to catalogue the historic manor's collection of 800 trade cards.

In essence these were exactly like business cards, but used more imagery than words to advertise the companies concerned.

Curator Rachel Boak explains: "They were designed to evoke a sense of what each particular shop could offer.

"Most likely they were looked upon as ephemera, but some people did take them very seriously and wanted to collect them."

Aside from a selected display of trade cards, visitors can also take a look around a mock 18th-Century shop filled with authentic goods. These include ornate lace and textiles, satin shoes, collars, waistcoats and gloves.

Many have come from Waddesdon's own extensive collection, while others are loan items from the British Museum, the Bucks County Museum and the Museum of Costume, Bath.

Rachel adds: "I think this exhibition brings home the idea of shopping in another century and in many ways is quite fascinating."

Visitors can also take a look round Waddesdon's other new exhibition this season, The Dawn Of Colour, which reveals an intriguing insight into the invention of the autochrome.

Shown originally at the National Media Museum in Bradford, the exhibition brings the turn of the last century into stunning colour.

Among the fascinating photographs on display are an autochrome of a tiger at London Zoo, taken in 1900, as well as a series of pictures showing Waddesdon Manor's gardens in full bloom.

All That Glitters: Shopping and Advertising in 18th-Century Paris and The Dawn of Colour: The Rothschild Autochromes at Waddesdon Manor. Details: 01296 653226, www.waddesdon.org.uk