Maison Blanche was a New Orleans department store founded in 1897 with the financial backing of Isidore Newman. The store operated its flagship location on Canal Street and expanded to suburban locations beginning in 1948, before Dillard’s purchased the company and the last remaining store closed in 1997, 100 years after its founding. The name translates from French as “White House.” [1]
Design and History
Maison Blanche was a client of Unimark International, the corporate design firm founded in 1965 by Massimo Vignelli, Bob Noorda and four American partners. Kenneth Harris, who joined Unimark in 1967 as President of the Communication Division, listed Maison Blanche among the firm’s national clients, alongside American Airlines, Ford, New York City Subways, Tootsie Roll and Dayton Corporation. [2] [3]
The store was often referred to by its initials “M.B.,” a shorthand that predated and later connected to its Christmas mascot Mr. Bingle, created in 1947 by display manager Emile Alline. [4] [5]
A trademark registration for the Maison Blanche name, filed in the 1980s, describes the mark as including shaded triangles, indicating a geometric emblem accompanied the wordmark in that period. The registration, now cancelled, covered retail department store services. [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The French words “Maison Blanche” translate to “White House” in English, as documented in the store’s trademark filings. [6] The store’s initials “M.B.” were widely used in its identity, including as the shared initials of its Christmas mascot Mr. Bingle, whose name was chosen in an employee contest because it matched the store’s initials. [4]
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