Department Store

Frede Vidar

At first glance, this looks like a pleasant department store. Its lunch prices (above images of two mural assistants being carefully watched by caretaker Brady) and sheet music of songs by Bing Crosby and Eddie Cantor generate feelings of nostalgia. But there's more hiding here than meets the eye, especially when one understands that Vidar was an admirer of Hitler and his rise to power in Germany in 1932 - Vidar believed Hitler was the answer to problems of Europe and was vocal about it on the job. He would sometimes scratch swastikas or words of praise for Hitler into the whitewash that covered the windows during the work (to cut down on glare). He left more permanent reminders of his beliefs: the SS symbol on the box carried by a saleswoman on the right; the newspaper with headlines about labor as well as a picture of Hitler; even a Star of David on the cap of the waitress, although it's not clear what he meant by that. Vidar was not shy: The list behind the phone lists Vidar's purchases; the wines are all California made and some have Vidar's name on them as well.