Postmodernism is now firmly established as a critique of historical narrative; this paper looks at its implications for architectural history, where the built object is viewed through many texts. The example of the department store in Paris shows how the process of writing history has been simplified to serve different purposes, while the complexity of different viewpoints and contradictions within and between them can be restored and emphasised to give a more truthful historical account. Cubist painting is proposed as a useful analogy for reconciling this process of historical representation to Postmodern thought.