This Month in History

This ad from April 1932 for children’s portraits has no street address, because every local in 1932 would have known where to find The Outlet Company: 176 Weybosset St., right in the middle of downtown Providence. Brothers Joseph and Leon Samuels founded “The Outlet” in 1891, and the department store would grow from a single storefront to an entire city block. This bastion of commerce attracted customers from across the region, including families in search of formal photos. At its zenith, The Outlet Company not only operated a store but TV and radio stations as well. This revered building was sold and eventually gutted by fire in 1986, but the property is now a greenspace for Johnson & Wales University. You’ll also recognize WJAR, the state’s first television station, which was founded by The Outlet Company.

Newspaper courtesy Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association