Judge, 1912-12-07 · page 27 of 44
Judge — December 7, 1912 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** rather than political satire, though it uses humor to make its sales pitch. The "joke" referenced satirizes competing razors by contrasting them with Durham-Duplex's affordable offering. The dialogue depicts a character nicknamed "Hoe" (suggesting his old razor resembles a garden tool) who initially "cultivates whiskers" with an inferior razor. By 1912, he's switched to Durham-Duplex and can actually shave properly—the pun being that cultivation is "harrowing" (tedious). The advertisement's core argument: sell razors cheaply (35¢) to capture market share through word-of-mouth, then profit from repeat blade sales. The company claims 1.5 million satisfied customers support this strategy. The satirical edge mocks inferior competing razors as clumsy garden implements, while positioning Durham-Duplex as the rational choice for modern men seeking comfort and efficiency—a common early-1910s advertising tactic appealing to masculine self-interest.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
oun 4 OUrEx mazom co, Dan ; ———— The Funny Papers The above was handed in by a friend of ours and the joke was this : Tf I can buy a razor for 35¢ with one blade that will shave me twenty times; if I can treat my face to a nice comfortable shave, using the correct diagonal stroke, leaving my skin with that nice, velvety feel—my face smooth, not hot and sore—and can cut whiskers like my dad and his dad and his dad and, well, all the good old dads that ever cut whiskers, why should I pay any price for a make-shift that looks more like a combi- nation garden hoe and rake than a razor? A little dialogue between the user of a 1911. Mr. Durham Duplex;—“What are you doing, old man? Mr, Hoe:—‘Cultivating whiskers.” 1912, Mr. Durham Duplex:—“What are you doing, old man?” Mr. Who-Used-To-Hoe:—“Shaving now. Cul- tivating is too harrowing.’” MR. DURHAM DUPLEX One million and five hundred thousand (1,500,000) men have had the same experience. They all expressed their sur- rise that we could do it for 35c. It is easy when you ook at it in the right light. When we get a man to shave with our blade, he will use no other while life lasts. 'Wecan afford to lose money to get two million men shaving with our razor, for the simple reason [Mh nists ne razor you get for It you that every man has an average of ten friends, and if he is sat— fi tis cquaty ts tood'c shevieg teste: isfied, he will tell his friends. We have a chance, therefore, Mo” to sell the other twenty million men each a $5 set; so you see that we Aave got to give you a perfect razor for 35c, and furnish blades that will shave. \n other words, we have got to deliver. the goods, or the scheme would break the Bank of England; and if we do not deliver the goods, the story would not be one to publish in a funny” paper. DURHAM-DUPLEX RAZOR COMPANY, 200 Fifth Aveoue, New York, N.Y. DURHAM DUPLEX RAZOR CO. || itunes comics 200 Fifth Avenue, New York gation on my part. comicbooks.com