Life, 1920-12-02 · page 67 of 97
Life — December 2, 1920 — page 67: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not a cartoon or satirical content. It's a full-page ad for "1847 Rogers Bros." silverplate by International Silver Co., appearing in a Christmas issue of *Life* magazine. The ad appeals to social status by referencing how "shining silver graced the tables of our forefathers as objects of attractiveness and symbols of social standing." It positions silverplate as an affordable way to access this prestige—matching patterns across tea sets, dishes, and flatware rather than requiring individual piece purchases. The marketing angle emphasizes "pattern harmony" as distinctive to Rogers Bros. and suggests the product as a gift, with pieces added "as opportunity offers" and "as one anniversary succeeds another"—implying aspirational gradual accumulation for middle-class consumers. The slogan "The Family Plate for Seventy Years" claims durability and longevity. There is no satire or political content; this is straightforward early 20th-century consumer advertising leveraging social aspiration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CHRISTMAS LIFE 1847 ROGERS BROS. ILVERWARE The Attractiveness of Silver Service ISHES of shining silver graced the tables of our fore- fathers as objects of attractiveness and symbols of social standing. The good old custom has come again into its own—but with renewed attractiveness, for now it is possible to have silver- plated Tea and Coffee Sets, Meat and Vegetable Dishes, Trays, etc., in exactly the same pattern as the Spoons, Knives and Forks. “1847 Rogers Bros.” is the one silverplate in which this fea- ture of pattern harmony is distinctive. The quality of all the pieces is the best, of course. Guaranteed without qualification. As a GIFT SUGGESTION, consider one or more of the : many useful pieces, to be added to as opportunity offers, and Harmony ia design as one anniversary succeeds another. between the Queen . Anne Teaspoon and ¢ Fppe—ir5 An ed VSS Sas Ss > 248 ne the Coffee Set is clear- Sold by'leading dealers. Write for folder PP Rha Aol “Z-82," illustrating other patterns, to the illustration of a cor- International Silver Co., Meriden, Conn. rect table setting for the luncheon sereice, The Family Plate for Seventy Years [INTER SILVI comicbooks.com