These elevator panels were made for the London department store, Selfridges, established in 1909. They demonstrate how public spaces like department stores gave ordinary people access to luxury styles, as well as luxury goods. Designed by Edgar Brandt, they are typical of his work in uniting flat, stylised and geometric patterns, with organic references. The three storks (the cicognes of the title) circle around a sun, as beams of light radiate outwards. The incorporation of birds associates the panels with flight and elevation, while the shimmering, bronzed colours adds a sense of glamour.

Brandt was keen to experiment with new materials and techniques, utilising the newer electric-shot welding process. He also electroplated in various metals, creating the depth of colour that is evident here. To complete his designs, he employed hundreds of specialists.

Brandt enjoyed particular success in New York, where his complex metalwork designs echoed the ambitious steel structures rising up across the city. He quickly established the New York studio Ferrobrandt, which created interior fixtures and fittings, as well as exterior panels and doors that tied in perfectly with the strong geometrical lines of the Manhattan skyline.