Printemps

01.03.2022

First Love

On February 17, 1864, Jules Jaluzot, head of the Silk Department at Le Bon Marché, married one of his loyal customers, Augustine Figeac, a renowned actress and sociétaire of the Comédie Française.

 

Twelve years his senior, Augustine introduced Jules to the lavish high society of Second Empire Paris and encouraged him to pursue his wildest dreams. Their marriage notably enabled them to pull off a visionary feat: creating their own department store in a brand-new neighborhood offering endless possibilities 


For nearly 2 years, they carefully prepared every detail of the opening: buying land, building and decorating the building, selecting the finest merchandise.

 

While Jules brought his commercial genius and innate gift for spotting trends, it is probably to Augustine, a woman of letters, to whom we owe the brilliant idea of placing the new store under the sign of eternal youth with the poetic name: Au Printemps.

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