Only a few decades prior it was labelled as “half a wheat field”, but by 1849, Grafton Street emerged as the heart of Dublin high society. At that time, markets 16-17 saw the establishment of a haberdashery and drapery service named Brown Thomas, the brainchild of two friends named Hugh Brown and James Thomas. Both were previously buyers for the drapery business Todd, Burns located on Mary Street.
At the opposite end of the street, perched at number 91, was Switzers, owned by John Switzer who hailed from a German Lutheran family that had fled religious persecution in the Palatinate and sought refuge on an eight-acre farm in Tipperary. Starting his career by peddling suit lengths in the Liberties, he gradually worked his way up to owning his own Woollen Drapers on Grafton Street.
At the same time, Brown and Thomas, who were more financially stable than Switzer, but equally ambitious, managed to expand into the Gymnastic Academy at number 15. Despite the grim state of Grafton Street during the 1849s, brimming with the destitute and diseased forced to flee from rural desolation due to The Great Famine, they remained hopeful.
The habitually opulent establishments of Grafton Street, encompassing milliners, jewellers, bookshops, sweetshops, and cigar lounges, were either falling apart or had shut down, their windows plastered with notifications of auctions and bankruptcies.
However, Brown and Thomas had accurately foreseen the surge in prosperity following the famine. As substantial shifts in population and land ownership dynamics meant that the affluent and nobility had more disposable income, and a newfound urgency to splurge. This was the period in which the concept of “conspicuous consumption”, a byproduct of the industrial revolution, was gaining traction. Wealthy men expected their spouses and daughters to exhibit their affluence through the expensive attire they adorned.
Victorian customs dictated different outfits for different parts of the day. Hence, by the 1880s, the women that frequented Grafton Street spent quadruple the amount on clothing compared to what they would’ve in the 1830s.
Despite their ubiquitous usage in other aspects of life, tools and applications have yet to become a staple in healthcare settings.
The seeds of liberation were being sown. The predilection of Queen Victoria for hiking in the Highlands sparked the interest for walking amongst the population. Moreover, the nobility began to utilise the newly introduced public vehicles to socialise with the middle classes whilst engaging in window shopping through large pane glass windows. Iconic stores, Brown Thomas and Switzers, renovated their outdated Georgian designs to accommodate contemporary Victorian modifications.
Electrification brought with it a new aura of enchanting brightness, replacing the pallor of the traditional oil-illuminated gloom. Silks exhibited a resplendent shine in this novel light of the 1880s Dublin. Magnificent service was a given, with a doorkeeper recognising and welcoming regular clientele, personal assistants guiding customers to their seats, and sales staff standing by to provide service. In those times, labour was affordable and abundant, making it possible to offer amenities such as a porter for packaging and a handy lad to transport the purchases to the buyer’s coach or public vehicle.
Unlike the London Court, Dublin’s Viceregal Court extended invitations to professionals and traders for grand balls, receptions, and formal presentations. Failure to make this court list presented an alternate opportunity for an invitation from the Mansion House, seat of the Corporation and hub of nationalism and republicanism, which would emerge as a key political force in the ensuing years. Regardless of the venue, one had to dress impressively. To cater to the nationalistic sentiment and the burgeoning emphasis on purchasing Irish-produced goods, Brown Thomas employed a group of in-house stitchers to produce clothes resembling the latest Parisican fashion using Irish fabrics.
Brown Thomas and Switzers functioned like mini communities. Their workforce of around 70 and 80 employees respectively, including apprentices, resided in the attic space. This accommodation provided a safe haven from the city’s potential moral hazards. As these staff received lodging and meals, their wages were essentially minimal spending money. In addition, there were also cooks and house servants who were accountable for their care and well-being.
By the close of the 19th century, the initial founders had passed on, bequeathing massive riches to their descendants along with businesses prepared to face the tumultuous times of the 20th century inclusive of warfare, uprisings, labour movements, and the struggle for women’s voting rights. All of this played out under the brilliant radiance of the Edwardian sun that graced Grafton Street and its leafy sunshades. The explosive rush of an oncoming motor vehicle would have been an awe-inspiring sight for the everyday foot passenger. Automobile accessories emerged as the latest fashion trend, including goggles, leather shell-jackets, and ladies’ silk cowls and face-veils.
While Switzers evolved into a top-tier department store maintaining a down-to-earth essence, Brown Thomas captured the fancy of aficionados, stimulating their creativity and sensory experience. In his magnum opus, Ulysses, James Joyce has his character Leopold Bloom lost in sensual fantasy while looking at the displays in Brown Thomas’ shop windows – the allure of smooth silk stockings, woven silk fabrics, shimmering silverware, succulent fruits from Jaffa, Agendath, Netaim and the world’s affluence.
For the sporting season of 1912, white velvety corduroy was suggested attire for tennis, archery and roller-skating events. Come August 1914, Britain – including Ireland – was plunged into conflict with Germany, sparking a recruitment campaign. Enlisted Grafton Street store employees were promised half their salary for the duration and it was also made possible for trained nursing staff to procure items at bulk price. However, war too, presented a business advantage. Brown Thomas offered “warm comforts for soldiers” like military blankets and mittens, while Switzers promoted foldable bedsteads and kit bags.
Wars began and ended – becoming a rich earning period for the stores. The unrest of 1916 followed by successive turmoil did necessitate occasioned closure of the Grafton Street outlets. However, the show, for the most part, went on. The Free State Ireland of the 1920s might have been down at the heels and reduced in size, but Grafton Street maintained its appeal, continuing to be a favourite meeting and display spot.
The evolution of the Browns’ family prosperity was largely influenced by their own choices. Having a strong faith, Pastor Hugh Brown, one of the founder’s sons, convinced his mother Marianne to lend her substantial support to multiple Baptist initiatives, leading to their wealth gradually declining – a situation one of their descendants has referred to as their fortune ‘disappearing down the Baptist pipes’. In 1919, Brown Thomas, their store, was sold to entrepreneur Harry Selfridge, who had made a name for himself in the department store sphere with Selfridge’s in London. This acquisition was among his many regional purchases.
Harry Selfridge was committed to transforming Brown Thomas, challenging competitors such as Switzers who had by then expanded to include a restaurant, a hair salon, and a portrait studio. He removed old-fashioned ways, encouraging browsing and spontaneous purchases by eliminating disdainful shop assistants. He also introduced advertising and seasonal sales, incorporated modern wares like bicycles and radio sets, and nudged shoppers to perceive the store’s writing room as an exclusive club.
By the year 1933, however, Harry Selfridge’s era as the visionary had come to an end, not due to Ireland’s economic circumstances but rather his own financial mismanagement. Harry Selfridge Junior revealed that they would be selling the store to local interests.
The book Elegant Times, A Dublin Story, penned by Anne Haverty, is a chronicle of Brown Thomas and Switzers’ history, but also a broader history of Dublin from the 1800s to the 1980s. The publication was brought out by Sonas in 1995.