Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 20,
THE
1924
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Lighting Makes "Show Window Music"
Proper Utilization of Lighting Facilities Makes the Retail Music Merchant's Show Windows His Most Effective
Advertisement—An Example in the Packard Music House of Ft. Wayne, Ind.—An Article
by M. J. Ward, of the Educational Committee, Curtis Lighting, Inc., Chicago
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O relieve your curiosity immediately, the
"show window music" we speak of is
nothing more or less sensational than the
sweet sounds that arise from the cash register.
During the last few years merchants of all
lines of merchandise have been studying the
ways of producing this music most effectively
by playing on their best instruments—their
show windows. They have found that some
windows appeal and attract while others are
passed by continually; they have also found
that some windows attract attention during the
day and are never observed at night. They
have realized that there are some qualities that
windows can possess that will keep the cheery
notes of the cash register ringing throughout
the day and tke evening and, on the other hand,
if they do not get those qualities into their
windows the "show window music" will be
diminished accordingly.
One quality which is a determining factor
in compelling interest in a show window is its
lighting. This may seem strange to you be-
cause you rarely, if ever, think of the lighting
when you look at a window; in fact, in the
best-lighted windows the lighting equipment is
never visible, However, any number of mer-
chants have experimented with their windows
and have discovered that the crowds follow the
light. One merchant in Cleveland found that
by making his windows seven times br'g' ter
than he had been accustomed to lighting them,
or increasing the intensity from. 15 to ICO foot
candles, he attracted just twice as many people.
Others have increased the drawing power of
their show windows as much as 75 per cent by
lighting their windows to a higher intensity.
Putting Spirit Into the Show
The chief reason for such increased attractive
power is this: Light is the medium that car.
put spirit into the show. It can create the
impression that the merchant has something
worth showing and he wants everybody to be
sure and see it. People like to patronize the
man who is "up on his toes," who carries the
latest records and the newest song hits, who
always has a "special" to feature. That im-
pression of a business begets more business.
When people see an unlighted window or a
dimly lighted store they are inclined to think,
"Blank must be economizing—wonder why—
poor business—cobwebs on his stock."
In addition to making one window stand out
from its neighbor because of its brightness,
good lighting has the power to make one man's
goods look better than his neighbors'. Perhaps
you recall instances where essentially the-same
stock was shown and yet in one window the
display looked cheap and flashy, while in the
other the articles seemed to take on distinc-
tion. One window reminded you of a cheap
jewelry display while the other suggested a
strand of pearls on velvet. In all probability
the window that gave you the cheap impression
was one that contained a good many bare lamps
or suspended units that cast a glaring light into
your eyes and at the same time threw spots of
light on some parts of the display and left
other parts in contrasting darkness. Probably
the lighting was so blinding that you didn't
see the goods but just the bright lights.
To show your stock to the best advantage
you should see that your lighting satisfies the
following specifications: (1) All light sources
Highest
Quality
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concealed to prevent g$re; (2) sufficiently high
intensity to make windows stand out; (3) light
concentrated on the display, and (4) light uni-
formly distributed qver the display.
AyFine Science
Window lighting has been developed to a
fine science since the introduction of the show
window reflector and the high-powered Mazda
lamps. By means of the one the light from the
other may be controlled or "harnessed" to pro-
duce just those effects that the merchant de-
sires. The most efficient types of reflectors
are those of glass which are molded so that
their contours "place" the light according to
of white glazed drapery on which Mr. Rehm
"painted" his effects with color lighting. As a
matter of fact, without changing the background
materially or purchasing new decorations he
was able to get any number of strikingly differ-
ent displays with the same equipment.
The show window reflectors in the window
pictured were covered with gelatin screens of
deep orange and magenta so that the light from
them gave the drapery background a rich warm
glow. Trees and festoons of metallic foliage in
pale blue, mauve, yellow and gold added to the
luxurious color of the setting.
Blue and
magenta spotlights wire directed on these to
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Utilizing Lighting Effects in Window of Packard Music House, Fort Wayne, Ind.
the shape of the window and the area to be
enhance the beauty of the foliage and to give a
lighted. The exteriors are coated with silver deeper tint to the lower portions of the drapery.
so that they have the highest possible reflect- The suggestion of moonlight was produced be-
ing power for redirecting the light and increas-
hind the French window by two floodlights
ing the effective illumination from the lamp.
with blue gelatin color screens. None of this
lighting equipment was visible. All the units
These reflectors are usually placed along the
top of the window or on the transom bar so were placed upon the transom bar of the win-
that light comes from above and out of the dow and the spotlights and floodlights were
tilted to direct the light where its effects were
line of vision of the observer. In this way the
blinding, annoying effects of glare are com- needed to provide the atmosphere or stage set-
ting of luxury and happiness—things we all
pletely eliminated; the light is concentrated on
covet.
the display and the quality of light is uniform
over the entire window.
Against this background the piano and the
Sometimes a merchant desires an effect that
wax figure seated at it were brought out in
will be still more striking than that of pure strong prominence by spotlighting them with
white light or one that will fit in with the
pure white light, just as is done on the stage.
"mood" of his display. In such cases color
There was nothing to distract the attention
lighting affords a wealth of opportunity for the
from the central object, the piano, and, in addi-
display man. Light becomes a medium for paint- tion to showing every detail of its construction,
ing effects that are at once compelling and at the that strong finger of light made that piano the
same time put the observer in the frame of
only thought in the minds of the people who
mind to desire to possess what he sees.
stood there and looked at it.
What Good Lighting Accomplished
An Example
Now this window represents what show win-
The accompanying illustration is of a window
dow display with good show window lighting
that drew immense crowds, because the display
was in itself interesting and because its beauty - can accomplish: A man comes down the street,
was emphasized by the setting. Unfortunately he notices that there is something different
about that window long before he reaches it;
words can but vaguely describe the beauty
he may even go across the street to see it better;
which the lighting gave to this display.
(Continued on page 7)
The background of the window pictured was
Highest
Quality