Peoria, Illinois: 1930s-40s. Large black striped album binding titled "Exquisitely", with decorative image of a stag pasted to front cover, 46 photographs, several pieces of ephemera, and numeros pictorial clippings. The album was assembled by Gene Casad, window trimmer in the display department at the Block and Kuhl Co department store in Peoria, Illinois, according to a card pasted to the front pastedown, which is followed by the title "Display World" cut out of a magazine. The album contains many photographs of Casad's window displays, as well as several shots of store displays, followed by many pictorial clippings taken from magazines also depicting department store window displays of women's fashions, handbags, shoes, appliances, furniture, etc. These were possibly used by Casad for reference and inspiration. The photos and clippings are backed by leaves of colored construction paper or decorative wallpaper, likely pasted into the album by Casad himself. Thus the album, with these collage elements as well as its vertically striped, jet black front cover, serves as a tribute to the Art Deco style of the department stores themselves. Album leaves warped and soiled, covers soiled. Item #5562

Price: $600.00