I could find no information on this photo other than these eager window shoppers were gathered outside a Robinson’s department store somewhere in Los Angeles (probably downtown LA, but the looks of it) in 1933. It makes me wonder what was going on that made people swarm the windows like that. The first Roosevelt inauguration—the one where he said, “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”—was in March 1933. Maybe there were listening to the broadcast? Or maybe it was just a Dollar Day sale. Whatever was going on, it was causing quite the stir and brought people together in ways we don’t see anymore.

** UPDATE ** – 1933 was the 50th anniversary of the JW Robinson’s store, so whatever was going on in the windows must have been something special for the celebrations.