Judge, 1891-03-07 · page 14 of 20
Judge — March 7, 1891 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement, not satire or political content**. It promotes Williams' Barbers' Soap as a toilet soap, featuring an enlarged image of a soap cake. The ad targets middle-class consumers by emphasizing the product's endorsement by professional barbers across the United States—positioning barber approval as a mark of quality and purity. Key selling points include: mildness (important for post-shave skin), curative properties, and affordability (under four dollars yearly for a family). The copy addresses consumer concerns about counterfeits ("vile, worthless imitations"), a common problem in patent medicine and consumer goods of the era. The two-cent trial offer (mail 40 cents for a pound package) was a standard marketing tactic to build brand loyalty. This appears in *Judge*, likely because the magazine accepted paid advertisements alongside satirical content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
We don't mean to exagyerate, but our WILLIAMS’ BaRBeRs’ SOAP has become such a pronounced success as a TOILET soap, that we feel prompted to show you a cake in enlarged size, that it may command your attention, You will be glad, after you have tried it, that you saw it, FOR TOILET USE, the merits of Wiussass’ Barsens’ Soar are fast becoming recognized by “the best people” oCOC———— the world over, A little reasoning will convince you of its merits. Surely you want Purity in soap first, last, a/ways, Mildness is a consideration, too. If to these qualities you add curative properties, softening and healing, there is little left to desire. Of course, you consider price. The above cut represents a cake (enlarged four times) of Wittiams’ Barsers’ Soar. Pure it must be, or it never could be used by nearly all of the Barbers in the United States. Impure soap would cause untold misery if used upon the tender skin of the face, made more tender by the process of shaving. Barbers recognize this and use Wittiams’ Soap. It is mild, too, It must be, or it would cause smarting and burning. upon the skin—soothes, heals, prevents “chapping” and roughness . The price ? It is mild as cream, and has much the same effect You can keep your whole family supplied with it for more than a year for less than four dollars, About fifty cents a year for a single individual. Ask your Druggist or your Barber. Try one pound—any Barser or Druggist will sell it to you; nut—be sure you get Wittiams’. There are vile, worthless imitations, FOR TWO we will mail a sample, for trial, to any address. We believe that after giving it a trial you will be an earnest CENTS advocate of its qualities. A pound package (six cakes) mailed for 4o cents. Address: The J, B. WILLIAMS CO., Glastonbury, Conn, ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT. (star) comicbooks.com