“Ladies’ Happiness” (1882) is Émile Zola’s eleventh novel in the “Rougon-Macquart” cycle, devoted to the representatives of one family who lived during the Second Empire—a period of Napoleon III’s dictatorship. In this sentimental story, the author plunges the reader into the world of department stores, which became one of the innovations of the Second Empire. After arriving in Paris with her brothers to work in a small shop owned by their uncle, Denise Beaujeu quickly realizes that jobs can only be found in department stores. Denise gets a job at “Ladies’ Happiness”—a department store of ready-made women’s clothing. She meets ruthless competition among saleswomen, employment instability, and becomes a witness to the exponential growth of this store and the demise of small shops…