The Price of Elegance in 1883
A look at the luxury fabrics and household goods enticing early Seattleites at the Golden Rule Bazaar.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At the Golden Rule Bazaar, we have just received two carloads of Mason fruit jars and one carload of jelly glasses. Our wonderful sales this week feature beautiful, heavy, ribbed children's knit fast-black hose for boys at full guage, 15 cents per pair. We also have exquisite gray and brown, fast color gloves, priced to men's taste at half price. Every department stores new, wonderful styles. Also, different styles of ribbons, 7 cents. Wonderful in white goods, organdies, and frock styles. For laces and embroideries, we have no equal. Our stock is complete and we guarantee prices to be the lowest.
“For Laces and Embroideries we have no equal. Our stock is complete and we guarantee prices to be the lowest.”
Today's 'big box' consumer culture feels far removed from the 1883 frontier, yet the language of 'bargains' and 'guaranteed lowest prices' remains a staple of Seattle's retail landscape. This advertisement captures a city in transition, moving from a rough-and-tumble outpost to a burgeoning hub of middle-class domestic comfort.
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