This thesis examines the relation between consumption dynamics and the formation of middle classes, through the study of two important historical experiences of capitalism: the unveiling of the great magazines in the European urban centers between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century; the rise of the malls at the north-american suburbs in mid-20th century. In a more specific manner, the thesis aims to analyze the ways through which these expanding consumption movements pushed the recruitment of social groups and their getting closer to the world of goods and, in this process, generated images, ideas and representations of consumer middle classes. The thesis will consider the particularities of those experiences, explore the characteristics of their contexts and observe the maintenance of their projects. The thesis starts from the premise that consumption is a central element in the modern-contemporary culture and, therefore, the study of its logics, structures and meanings can contribute to understanding the values and ideologies that orient our social lives. In an exercise of historical anthropology, this thesis aims to highlight that, beyond the questions and themes related to economy and production, the experiences and sensibilities connected to the culture, to the symbolic and to the universe of consumption may also provide ideas, present discoveries and decipher fundamental structures to the understanding of capitalism.