Les Galeries Lafayette

Les Galeries Lafayette is a well known department store in Paris, with a long history. In 1893 two cousins started a very successful business so that over the next years the store was in constant need for expansion. Close to a century after its inauguration this 5-story hall with the glass dome is still very impressive - so much that I got the impression there would be more tourists taking pictures than customers buying the expensive brand perfumes.

The following description can be found on the official webpage (www.galerieslafayette.com):

"In 1906, Théophile Bader commissioned the Roman award-winning architect Georges Chedanne and later his student Ferdinand Chanut to design the new layout of the Haussmann store. The block of buildings delimited by Haussmann boulevard, Chausée d’Antin, Mogador and Provence streets was redesigned according to Chanut’s predilection for oriental bazaars, where the hodgepodge of merchandise and departments was intended to drive customers into a buying frenzy.
In October 1912, the new store’s inauguration was a major event. The store’s 5 floors, balconies and glass dome were advertised all over Paris, the provinces and even globally as pure refinement. Inspired by a neo-Byzantine style, the 33-meter high glass dome comprises of 10 painted windows encapsulated in rich metallic frames and decorated in a sculpted floral motif.
The banisters of the lower floors adorned with leaflet were signed by Louis Majorelle who also graced the store with the escalator ramp. By the request of Théophile Bader, a golden light was used to create a more intimate environment and to set the merchandise aglow."

Europe / France

Lat: 48° 52' 24.68" N
Long: 2° 19' 55.66" E

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.

This Panorama was taken hand-held, without tripod.
Hardware: Nikon FM3, Sigma 8mm fisheye lens, slide film scanned on Polaroid Sprint Scan 35Plus.
Software: PTGui, Adobe Photoshop, Pano2QTVR