The concept of department stores emerged in the mid-19th century as a new retail model driven by the industrial revolution and the rise of the middle class. Although some debate exists, Le Bon Marche in Paris (founded 1838) is generally designated as the world’s first department store. In the United States, department stores emerged first in New York City, with Alexander Turney Steward’s Marble Palace opening in 1846. In the years since, New York City has remained a hub for department stores and the fashion industry in the United States. When Women Ran Fifth Avenue focuses on the tenure of female executives at three New York department stores.

Lord & Taylor was founded in 1834 when George Washington Taylor joined and expanded his cousin Samuel Lord’s small clothing store. In 1862, both men retired and were succeeded by their sons. The business expanded quickly in the final decades of the 19th century and opened their iconic flagship on Fifth Avenue in 1914. In 1945, Dorothy Shaver became president of the company and oversaw an expansion that opened new branches across the East coast. In the decades to come, male executives followed her lead and the brand expanded rapidly across the country throughout the 1960s.