Judge, 1903-11-28 · page 13 of 21
Judge — November 28, 1903 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **jewelry advertisement**, not political satire. It appears in *Judge* magazine (likely early 1900s based on style) promoting the Loftis Bros. & Co. credit system for purchasing diamonds and watches from Chicago. The decorative illustration depicts an elegant couple and Cupid presenting diamonds—typical early-20th-century aspirational imagery targeting consumers who couldn't afford luxury items outright. The "on credit" angle was relatively novel marketing at the time. **The satirical angle** (if any) is subtle: the ad mocks the gap between desire and means by making luxury accessible through installment payments—a somewhat tongue-in-cheek commentary on consumer culture and "living beyond one's means." The guarantee certificates and promises of easy monthly payments represent the era's emerging consumer credit economy. This is essentially advertising disguised as magazine content, targeting middle-class readers with disposable income who wanted social status markers like diamonds.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a ¢4 under the LOFTIS SYSTEM Diamonds on Credit wer. haany pesos ot beet intentions, no matter how far away they may live, may open a Confiden- tial Charge Account for a Diamond, Watch or other valuable article of jewelry, and pay the same in a series of easy monthly payments. Write today for our beautifully illustrated How To Dol Catalogue, and from it select any article that you would like to wear or own; of, perhaps use as a gift to a loved one. We will send your selecti express office, wish ; then, if it is all that you anti your home, place of business or as you prefer. nd as carefully as you pated, and the best value you ever saw for the money asked—pay one-fifth of the price and keep it. The balance you may send us in eight equal monthly payments. On the Other Hand, vine sane is eae oer expense. Whether you buy or not, we pay all express and other charges— you pay nothing, neither do you assume an We submit our gouds on their merits, wit qualit d our easy terms of payment will command your favor. We ask but one opportunity for’ adding your name to the largest list of + pleased customers with which a Diamond house was ever honored. Weare the Largest House ‘.. business. also one of the oldest —Est. 1858. We refer to any bank in America—ask your local bank how we stand in the business world. They will refer to their Commercial Agency books and tell you that we stand very high, and that our representations may be accepted without question. if you decide not to buy, simply risk or obligation whateve absolute confidence that their low price Diamond We are xT oy iven with every Our Guarantee Certificate, 3770". broadest and strongest ever issued by a responsible concern. Further, we give the broad guarantee of complete satisfaction tu every purchaser. Our exchange system is the most liberal ever devised, fur it permits you to return any Diamond bought of us, and get the full amount paid in exchange for other goods or a larger Diamond. will not be complete until Your Christmas Plans you have looked th:ough our Catalogue, and considered what you can do in gift-making in conjunction with the LOFTIS SYSTEM. The $5.00 which you might pay for some thing cheap and trashy will make the first payment on, and put you in immediate possession of a splendid Diamond or Watch. Youcan thus make gifts that are commensurate with, and appropriate to the circumstances, without any considerable initial outlay. There can be no more favorable time than the present for buying a Diamond. Prices are advancing steadily and a profit of 15 or 20 per cent within a year seems assured. generally agree in this prediction, To the Cash Buyer of Diamonds, we have a proposition to make which is thoroughly characteristic of our house. It is nothing less than a written agreement to return all that they pay for a Diamond—less ten per cent, at any time within one year. Thus, one might wear a fifty dollar Diamond for a whole year, then send it back and get $45.00, making the cost of wearing the Diamond less than ten cents per week. Dealers WRITE TO-DAY FOR CATALOGUE LOFTIS BROS. @ CO. Diamonds—Watches—Jewelry Dept. M-40, 92 to 98 STATE ST., CHICAGO, ILL. comicbooks.com