• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

412 results for: Retail and Department Stores

Share:
Image of Button hook for spats from Cheasty's Men's Wear Department Store, ca. 1890s

Button hook for spats from Cheasty's Men's Wear Department Store, ca. 1890s

The owner of Cheasty's, E.C. Cheasty, was a well-known Seattle clothier and public representative during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
ID Number:1985.36.13
Date:Circa 1890
Image of Pair of dark brown kid leather high laced boots, ca. 1916

Pair of dark brown kid leather high laced boots, ca. 1916

Mabel Frances Whalley Baer (1894-1985) was a lifelong Seattleite and daughter of State Senator John A. Whalley. These high laced kid shoes were sold by Turrell's, an early Seattle shoe retailer.
ID Number:1986.21.42
Date:Circa 1916
Image of Black pump evening shoes, ca. 1960s

Black pump evening shoes, ca. 1960s

These classic women's evening shoes were sold at Nordstrom Best in Seattle in the 1960s.
ID Number:1986.24
Date:Circa 1960
Image of Black beaded platform heels, 1940s

Black beaded platform heels, 1940s

These women's shoes were made for Pessemiers' Shoe Store in downtown Seattle. During 1940, its first year in business, the store promoted itself as a place "Where women may select fine footwear - Leisurely and to their utmost satisfaction." Platform shoes were very popular in the 1940s, 1960s, and 1990s.
ID Number:1987.12
Date:Circa 1940
Image of Bronzed kid leather shoes, ca. 1912

Bronzed kid leather shoes, ca. 1912

These beaded women's shoes were sold at Turrell's, an early Seattle business, and made by Laird, Schober & Co. in Philadelphia around 1912. They were worn by Mrs. Ada Bonner Staadecker (Mrs. Victor).
ID Number:1988.14
Date:Circa 1912
Image of Bottle of French perfume purchased at Frederick & Nelson in 1919

Bottle of French perfume purchased at Frederick & Nelson in 1919

Seattle department store Frederick & Nelson sold Parisian couture designer Paul Poiret's tantalizing perfumes. The scent of this particular perfume was made by Paul's friend Henri Almeras.
ID Number:1988.27.1
Date:Circa 1919
Image of Can of

Can of "Bartell French Cleaner," early 20th century

Bartell Drugs, established in 1890, was one of the oldest and long-standing family-owned stores in Seattle until it was sold to Rite Aid in 2020. George H. Bartell Sr. (1868–1956) purchased the Lake Washington Pharmacy at 2711 South Jackson Street in Seattle's Central District in 1890, and that was the beginning of a long-lived and beloved Seattle business.
ID Number:1989.7
Date:Circa 1900-1920
Image of Pair of back stiletto heels, ca. 1963

Pair of back stiletto heels, ca. 1963

These stiletto heeled women's pumps were sold at Nordstrom's in the 1960s.
ID Number:1992.18.1
Date:Circa 1963
Image of Navy blue pumps, ca. 1938

Navy blue pumps, ca. 1938

These women's leather pumps feature a cutout pattern in navy blue and light brown. Artist and The Bon Marché window display dresser, Fay Suttles Olson, purchased the shoes at Rhodes Department Store in Tacoma around 1938.
ID Number:1992.37.1
Date:Circa 1938
Image of Pair of sandal pumps, ca. 1948

Pair of sandal pumps, ca. 1948

Fay Suttles Olson, artist and window display dresser at The Bon Marché, wore these women's shoes in Seattle around 1948.
ID Number:1992.37.3
Date:Circa 1948
Previous 1 … 14 15 16 17 18 … 42 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved