Judge, 1895-01-26 · page 11 of 16
Judge — January 26, 1895 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Williams' Shaving Soap advertisement**, not political satire. The illustration shows a man's face split vertically—one side lathered with inferior soap (left), the other with Williams' product (right)—to demonstrate the superiority of the brand. The ad's appeal is fear-based: it warns that cheap, contaminated soaps made from "material gathered from house to house" cause chapped faces, skin diseases, and blood-poisoning. Williams' positions itself as safe, medicated, and chemically tested. The "CAUTION" warns barbers against substituting cheaper soaps, while the "GUARANTEE" emphasizes the company's rigorous quality control over decades. This reflects early-20th-century advertising tactics exploiting health anxieties about contamination and industrially-produced goods, before modern FDA regulations. The dramatic visual comparison was designed to persuade consumers that brand-name products were safer than generic alternatives.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
This side the kind he used is lathered This—etore he found ith the better kind. w WILLIAMS’ Safe in Cold Weather Chapped faces invite blood-poisoning and contagious skin diseases. WILLIAMS’ Shaving Soaps—act like soft, rich, medicated Cream—healing every irritation— They keep the face soft, fresh and comfortable the year ‘round. CAUTION —/nsist that your Barber use none of the ordinary cheap and dangerous substitutes for WWLLAAMS' Soap at this season, Such soaps are composed of material gathered from house to house—in toons and cities, and is often found in tainted condition throwing off germs prolific of most disgusting and forturing skin discasés, Thousands of cases are on record—showing that and even loss of life. GUARANTEE-—It is worth something to you to know that in all the thousands of tons of WILLIAMS’ SHAVING SOAPS that have gone into all parts of the world during the Rast half century, NOT ONE OUNCE of material that has not passed the closest inspection and most severe chemical tests, NOT ONE OUNCE of tainted or diseased animal fat, or other impure matter, has entered into their composition. Tue J. B. WILLIAMS CO., GLAsTonBuRY, Cr., U. 8. A. 2 aps made of such material are the cause of untold suffering—disfgurement— comicbooks.com