Life, 1904-02-04 · page 4 of 36
Life — February 4, 1904 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not political satire. It promotes decorative china plaques featuring portrait heads by Charles Dana Gibson, the famous illustrator known for creating "Gibson Girl" images of idealized women. The advertisement describes twelve different head designs available as wall plaques with blue lover's-knot decoration, priced at 75 cents each. The products were manufactured by Doulton Porcelain and sold through Crockery and Department stores, or by mail order from George F. Bassett & Co. in New York City. This represents early 20th-century consumer culture—transforming a popular artist's work into affordable home décor products for middle-class consumers. The decorative border and elegant profile shown exemplify the refined aesthetic Gibson's name signified.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Gibson Heads on China Plaques. Twelve different head subjects on wall plaques with blue lover's knot decoration at 75 cents each. These exquisite reproductions of LIFE’S distinguished artist, Charles Dana Gibson, as well as the 24 plate subjects, at 50 cents each, are burnt into the finest Doulton Porcelain without losing a single pen-stroke of the original drawings from which the subjects are taken. Can be purchased at all Crockery and Department stores, or will be sent upon receipt of price, with 25 cents extra for expressage. Book of 24 Gibson drawings sent for 6 cents in stamps. Antistic panel showing 12 Gibson Heads in Half-tone—I0 cents, George F. Bassett & Co., Dept. U, 49 Barclay Street, New York City.