[A Stereoscopic Tour of Sears, Roebuck, & Co.]

Take a tour through one of the largest retail operations in America during the early 20th century.

This marvelous complete collection of stereoscopic views offers an intimate tour through the new facilities of Sears, Roebuck, & Co. in Chicago. Completed in 1906, the massive North Lawndale complex included a power plant, post office, worker amenities, and a 3-million-square-foot mail order plant—the world’s largest commercial building at the time—and served as the corporate headquarters until 1973 (when the company moved to the Sears Tower).

A series of fifty images captures scenes throughout the impressive premises, beginning with the President, R.W. Sears, sitting at his desk and concluding with a corner in the employee hospital (quite well stocked). Text on the verso of each card describes the contents further. An interesting bit of corporate propaganda from the early 20th century.