Judge, 1903-06-27 · page 20 of 21
Judge — June 27, 1903 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **full-page advertisement**, not political satire. It advertises Mennen's Borated Talcum Toilet Powder, a personal hygiene product. The ad depicts a barber shop scene where a barber applies the powder after shaving a customer, with other barbers and clients visible. A portrait of what appears to be the product's founder or endorser occupies the upper left. The marketing pitch emphasizes the powder's supposed medical benefits: preventing skin diseases, keeping skin "smooth and healthy," and treating chafing and sunburn. The text notes it's "highly scented with cheap perfume"—an unusual selling point that reveals period advertising's candor about cost-cutting. This reflects early-20th-century consumer culture when toilet powders were marketed with exaggerated health claims, and barber shops were social/commercial hubs where such products were prominently used and sold.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
parper uses OILET POWDER ‘Aad wilt prevent eny of the many skin diseases often contracted SKIN SMOOTH AND HEALTHY aad be re FLY MEAT, CHAFING, aad SUNBURN, and all Affictios of the Skin ra WDEKS HIGRLY @CENTED WITH CHEAP PERFUME : Sold everywhere or mailed on receipt of ase. Sample Free, GERTARD MENNEN CO., 14 Orange Street, NEWARK, KJ. WENNEN'S VIOLET TALCUM tturne