Life, 1915-03-11 · page 6 of 48
Life — March 11, 1915 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not satirical content. It's a 1915 Gorham Company ad for sterling silverware, positioned in Life magazine. The ad argues that silverware purchasing differs from ordinary shopping—it's an "investment" with lasting intrinsic value, unlike other goods that depreciate through use. Sterling silver maintains uniform value everywhere and provides "daily dividends of useful service." The ornate decorative border and illustrated silver pitcher are typical of luxury goods advertising from this era. The copy emphasizes craftsmanship and heirloom quality—that Gorham pieces become more sentimentally valuable over time and could pass to future generations. The trademark symbol (anchor, lion, G) authenticates the product for "leading jewelers." This is straightforward commercial persuasion, not political satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
RRSES: QOH x Qs 4, =| “axle b Sis SE an: Sites is OSS SO) RS Zi ait ieee BUYING _ is not to be classified as ordinary shopping. It is really making a permanent investment. Nine-tenths of’ all other merchandise you buy wears out quickly, depreciating rapidly by use. SLIERLING SILVERWAPE, on the contrary, has an intrinsic value, uniform everywhere, and unaffected by length of use. Moreover, it is an investment from which you draw daily dividends of useftl ser vice and delight of ownership. Its just as valuable intrinsically, and. much more so sentimentally, afier twenty years’ use as the day you buy it. To this intrinsic value GORHAM adds the exqui site artistry of perfect workmanship and handicraft. Any piece of Gorham Silverware is a potential heirloom which a.future gener- ation would highly prize. On every piece of Gorham Silver. ware this identifying trademark ap- pears. Oflered everywhere by leading jewelers. THE GORHAM CO. SILVERSMITHS — GOLDSMITHS NEW YORK |