Pianos were perhaps the most crucial piece of furniture for aspiring families. Faith in their refining and status-raising power was remarkably wide-spread, as merchants and social scientists discovered. This faith was demonstrated in an oft-repeated anecdote that circulated in the advertising industry: A department store in New York City had a surplus of inexpensive pianos. The store launched an ad campaign in the newspapers but could generate little interest in the cut-rate instruments. It was only when the advertising manager revamped his campaign that he was able to sell the pianos. Rather than concentrate on the instruments themselves, his new campaign focused on the enviable social benefits they could provide. The headline for his new ad was: ‘Make your daughter Mary a lady.’