Marshall Field’s moving Christmas window figures to be sold at auction

CHICAGO — Two-and-a-half-dozen moving Christmas window display figures from the historic Chicago retailer, Marshall Field’s, will be hitting the auction house near mid-September.

In a press release, Potter & Potter Auctions said they are set to offer 30 of the moving Christmas window display caricatures from Marshall Field’s during an auction at their West Belmont Avenue gallery on Sept. 12.

Included in the auction are a standing Victorian gentleman, seated flapper woman, standing Salvation Army volunteer, double animatronic standing boy with his begging dog, horse drawn delivery wagon and more.

The standing Victorian gentleman, estimated at $800-1,200, measures 42 inches tall and comes to life with a mustache and goatee, black shoes, brown check trousers, a brown jacket, white shirt, ascot, and top hat. When activated, his left arm moves back and forth.

The seated flapper woman, estimated at $800-1,200, measures 36 inches tall and wears a burnt umber dress trimmed in green, stockings, black shoes, and a matching hat. She holds a handkerchief in one hand and a teacup in the other. When plugged in, she lifts and lowers the cup to her mouth.

The standing Salvation Army volunteer, estimated at $800-1,200, measures 41 inches tall and is outfitted in a lined cape and bonnet and a fitted, ankle-length dress. The volunteer holds a tambourine in one hand. When electrified, she shakes her instrument.

The double animatronic standing boy with his begging dog is estimated at $600-800, with the boy standing 33 inches tall and the dog is 23 inches tall. The boy wears a blue sailor’s suit, brown shoes, striped socks, a blue and red tie, and a hat. His fuzzy brown dog is detailed with a long tail, floppy ears, and a leash.

The horse-drawn delivery wagon, estimated at $500-700, is a painted wooden model of a Victorian-era wagon that is 45 inches long and 40 inches tall and is filled with present prop boxes. It is painted green and decorated with gold trim and the words “Marshall Field & Co.” on one side.

The horse is 38 inches long by 34 inches tall and is made from gray painted wood. He is detailed with an imitation leather bridle and harness. This legacy vehicle was a key element of the company’s 1992 holiday window display story.

This automaton collection, currently held by Chicago’s Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (MSI), was part of the legacy Chicagoland department store’s famed tradition of animated Christmas window displays.

“These moving marvels drew massive crowds to State Street in downtown Chicago every holiday season, and the ornate Christmas window displays at Marshall Field’s are a part of Chicago’s collective memory,” said Gabe Fajuri, President of Potter & Potter Auctions.

“We are pleased to be partnering once again with MSI to bring yet another incredible piece of Chicago history to auction and give buyers a chance to own their very own piece of this beloved holiday tradition.”

The displays attracted thousands of shoppers to the store’s flagship location on State Street every holiday season, a tradition that debuted in 1897.

By the mid-1940s, Marshall Field’s displays filled all 13 windows on the store’s State Street façade and told a story as visitors moved from window to window. This sale marks Potter & Potter’s second collaboration with MSI following its 2022 sale of the Museum’s automated Main Street exhibit.

These nearly life-sized painted plaster figures — Which include men, women, children, and pets — Were produced in 1992. Each has a distinctly old fashioned aesthetic to coincide with the theme the department store selected for that year’s holiday display. All are finely rendered and mounted to a motorized wooden base with a plug.

In addition to these featured display lots, this auction includes century-spanning arcade games, vending machines, slot machines, trade stimulators, and coin-operated machines of all types, as well as a host of vintage to antique signs and rare advertising objects.

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