Life, 1908-11-05 · page 33 of 48
Life — November 5, 1908 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Chickering & Sons piano advertisement**, not political satire. The page features an ornate illustration of a grand piano in an elaborate, wealthy interior setting—a palatial room with decorated columns, arches, and classical architectural details. The ad claims Chickering pianos represent "skill" and "artistic" excellence, backed by "eighty-five years of piano building" (the company was established 1823). The text argues their superiority in "tone, touch and general staying power" makes them the standard by which other pianos are judged in "exclusive musical circles." This is **luxury brand positioning**—appealing to wealthy, cultured consumers by associating the product with refined taste, tradition, and social status. The grandiose setting emphasizes that owning a Chickering piano signals membership in elite society. For modern readers: this represents early 20th-century advertising that sold aspirational lifestyle rather than functional product details.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HE RESULT Of SKILL, inspired by a keen apprecia- tion of the artistic and a desire to live Yup to an enviable reputation, ‘| directed by the latest scientific Xi] knowledge, and practical ex- | perience gained by eighty-five | years of piano building. N @ The resulting excellence, both as to tone, touch and 4 general staying power, is the ‘dreason and the only reason for the uniformly high favor in which it is held in exclusive musical circles. It is con- Riiicy ceded to be a standard of com- sq parison for all other makes. MADE SOLELY BY Pianoforte Makers Established 1823 796 Tremont St., Boston, U. S.A.