Life, 1917-05-10 · page 3 of 46
Life — May 10, 1917 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It promotes **Reed & Barton**, a silversmiths company established in 1824, with two New York locations listed (Fifth Avenue at 32nd Street and 4 Maiden Lane). The image features an elegant table display of their merchandise: sterling silver items, precious stones, platinum and gold jewelry on the left; watches, clocks, leather goods, stationery, canes, and umbrellas on the right. The ornate table with large wheels suggests a merchant's display cart or showroom setup. This is **pure commercial messaging**—typical of Life magazine's advertising revenue model. There is no satire or political commentary present. The decorative border and refined aesthetics appeal to wealthy consumers as aspirational luxury goods.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Reep& Barton Wal ; ESTABLISHED! 1824 SILVERSMITHS FirtTHAVENUEAT 32nd STREET 4.:MAIDEN LANE. Hilt NEw York | STERLING } WATCHES | SILVER, Clocks. | 1} PRECIOUS Hi 1) LEATHER STONES. 1 ')) . Goons. PLATINUM Hi Re | STATIONERY. |] ,xGOLD CANES, JEWELRY ij Hie 4 UMBRELLAS |