Wanamaker’s, the gigantic department store filling an entire city block near City Hall, dominated the commercial landscape of Philadelphia for several generations.

I did not frequent Wanamaker’s until the heyday of this great institution had passed.

Nevertheless, it remained a place of quiet elegance in the middle of the city even as rival merchants diversified the shopping world.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, this innovative department store, with its elegant restaurants, enormous organ, and continuous display innovations attracted many travelers to Philadelphia.

People took one of the many trains serving Philadelphia in order to visit the Wanamaker Store.

This postcard photograph was published by the Post Card Distributing Company of Philadelphia.

I believe the photograph was made circa 1910.

In December of 1916, a traveler mailed the postcard from Philadelphia to Mr. Willard Kelly of Belfast, New York.

On the reverse, “Uncle Bill” learns that his nephew reached the city “all O.K.” and “found everything all right”.

On-line one can find succinct histories of the Wanamaker Store and the remarkable founder.