Life, 1907-02-14 · page 28 of 28
Life — February 14, 1907 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a full-page advertisement for The Prudential Insurance Company celebrating 31 years of success. Rather than satire or political commentary, this represents straightforward corporate promotion. The key visual element—the Rock of Gibraltar illustration with text "THE PRUDENTIAL HAS THE STRENGTH OF GIBRALTAR"—uses a metaphor for stability and permanence. This was a common advertising trope of the era, suggesting the company's unshakeable financial security. The advertisement showcases impressive financial figures: $127 million in assets, $1.25 billion in insurance in force, and $1.25 million in dividends distributed to policyholders. For a 1907 audience, these numbers conveyed prosperity and trustworthiness. The tagline "For Every $100 of Liabilities The Prudential has $119 of Securely Invested Assets" emphasizes solvency—a crucial selling point during an era when insurance company failures were not uncommon. This appears to be a period corporate image-building advertisement rather than editorial satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
31 Years of Success The Prudential Foremost in Public Usefulness, Security and Public Confidence rst Annual Statement, January 1, 1907, show . % F 127 Million Dollars L TABIL I TIES (including Reser rve over $103,000, 000), nea ily a Fe z - 107 Million Dollars CAPITAL STOCK ; ‘ 5 Million Dollars SURPLUS (largely for ultimate payment of dividends: to Policyholders), over . 18 Million Dollars INCREASE IN ASSETS, nearly — . 7 ‘ 3 - ‘ - 20 Million Dollars PAID POLICYHOLDERS DURING 1906, over. - 16 Million Dollars INCREASE IN AMOUNT PAID POLICYHOLDERS 1906 over 1905, over . 2 Million Dollars TOTAL PAYMENTS TO POLICYHOLDERS to Dee. 31, 1906, over. - 123 Million Dollars CASH DIVIDENDS AND OTHER CONCESSIONS Not Stipulated in Original Contracts and Voluntarily Given to Holders of Old Policies to Date, nearly 714 Million Dollars LOANS TO POLICYHOLDERS ON SECURITY OF THEIR POLICIES, nearly Million Dollars NUMBER OF POLICIES IN FORCE, nearly , A ‘ 5 3 F 7 Millions NET INCREASE IN INSURANCE IN FORCE, over. i ‘ 7 . $2 Million Dollars Bringing Total Amount of Insurance in Force to Over One Billion, [wo Hundred and Fifty Million Dollars The Year’s Record Shows: Efficient Economical Administration. Increased Payments to Policyholders for Death Claims and Dividends. Large Saving in Expenses. Lower Expense Rate than Ever Before. Reduction of Expense Rate in Industrial Department nearly 34% of Premium Income. Favorable Mortality Experience. STRENGTH OF M The business operations of The Prudential are confined to GIBRALTAR | oy. the United States and strictly limited to selected lives. Dividends to Policyholders during 1906 over One and One Quarter Million Dollars z Many letters from Policyholders receiving Dividends demon- pehies strate that the results more than meet the or Infor- mation of Poli= —— expectations of the insured. cies, Dept O, The Prudential Insurance Company of America JOHN F. DRYDEN, President Incorporated as a Stock Company by the State of New Jersey Home Office, Newark, N. J. For Every $100 of Liabilities The Prudential has $119 of Securely Invested Assets a Deeas of Nevelely Beotvers, Mew Fors