Friday, August 22, 2025

The Simple Beauty of a Shop Window

Here is a picture of a shop window that I see almost every day. I've recently been appreciating its beauty, or at least its charm.

Looking at it now, I'm wondering why exactly I find it so charming. Perhaps because it's midway between "fancy" and utilitarian. The owners have obviously gone to some effort in putting it together; it's a tableau. And yet it's fairly simple. I'm guessing nothing in the shop window is hugely expensive. It's a very ordinary shop. (A newsagent's rather than a toyshop.)

There's something very poignant about toys. I swear that reading Coventry Patmore's poem "The Toys" makes me a better person, for all of thirty seconds or so. I can't read it without sobbing.

Also the Mona Lisa at eye-level is a nice touch.

Many years ago, I had a blog devoted to pictures of Dublin shops. I once asked if I could include a link to it in a library newsletter but was told I couldn't, as it might be seen as "self-promotion"! Self-promoting? Moi?

No comments:

Post a Comment