Life, 1900-10-04 · page 19 of 20
Life — October 4, 1900 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Corticelli Spool Silk thread, manufactured by Nonotuck Silk Company in Florence, Massachusetts. The ad features a cat's face and hand holding a spool of silk. The messaging is aggressive: it accuses retailers of deliberately stocking inferior thread brands to increase profits. The ad directly challenges consumers to "insist on having Corticelli" and threatens to shop elsewhere if dealers won't stock it. This reflects early 20th-century retail tension—manufacturers competing against store clerks who had financial incentives to push house brands or cheaper alternatives. The cat imagery was likely chosen for appeal and memorability in a magazine aimed at women who sewed. The "sixty-two years" claim establishes brand heritage and trustworthiness.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
bay-If your dealer does not keep Corticettt Spoon Sitk,it is because he can make more money selling you an inferior kind, Insist on having CorticeLti, no matter what the clerk says. Spool Silk is the smoothest and strongest silk made. For hand or orlicelly machine use it has noequal. It has been used by the best dressmakers for the last sixty-two years, and is to-day sold by the most enterprising dealers everywhere. Go to some other store if the dealer wants to substitute. Corticelli Filo Silk is as good for embroidery as is Corticelli Spool Silk for dressmaking. Nonotuck Silk Company 46 Bridge Street, Florence, Mass.