BEACON HILL HOME FURNISHINGS AND TEXTILES

The text at the bottom of the illustration: “At Beacon Hill, we’ve edited our world so that you can find inner harmony in yours.” If presented in a headline, this sentence would seem too abstruse to be convincing. But since it’s set in the style of a New Yorker cartoon’s caption, we’reprogrammed to feel it must be witty and elegant—even if we’re not sure what it’s talking about. Meanwhile, the visual’s gentle mockery of New Age pretensions gives a light touch to the sales pitch: Buying home furnishings and textiles via Beacon Hill will bring “inner harmony” rather than outer aggravation.