This photograph was taken at Galeries Lafayette during my trip to Paris in 2019. Back when I took this picture I didn’t appreciate the beauty and grandeur of the department store. In America, shopping has become so commercialized it would be rare to find a department store as beautiful and elaborate as this one. After reading The Ladies Paradise I fully understand how exciting and luxurious shopping was in that time. Being able to witness this department store with my own eyes made me feel like I was getting the full authentic Zola experience. The domed stain glass windows, the elaborate moldings, balconies, and high arches are all details that set this store apart from any other mall you have ever shopped at. Upon entering the store your head begins so spin from all the beauty and luxury you are surrounded by. The environment makes you want to just spend hours in the store living out a fantasy. I can imagine that’s how women felt in 19th century Paris upon entering The Ladies Paradise. The crowds gathered outside and the dazzling products inside seem to rely on one another to bring them to life. Without the crowds, tourists and flaneurs walking through this store on a daily it wouldn’t be a lively, exciting place anymore. We, as shoppers, buy into the consumer culture that Zola introduced us to back then.