Judge, 1920-01-24 · page 29 of 36
Judge — January 24, 1920 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward **product advertisement** for Genco razors, published in Judge magazine on January 24, 1920. The page features an illustrated barber using a Genco razor on a customer, accompanied by detailed sales copy explaining the razor's technical features: its hollow-ground blade, broad back, and compatibility with stropping (sharpening on a leather strop). The accompanying diagram shows how the razor meets the strop correctly. The "joke" in the headline—"How's the razor this morning?"—is a gentle play on a barber's typical question, used here to transition into advertising copy about why a properly-stropped Genco razor performs smoothly without pulling or scraping. This reflects early-20th-century advertising strategy: placing product ads in humor magazines to reach affluent male readers. There is no political commentary or satire intended on this page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
January 24, 1920 Reg. U.S. Pat Off. “How’s the razor this morning?” Note how Genco Razors meet the strop in just the proper way to assure a perf sct shaving edge. The beve, fends backbone to the ge and guides iton the strop. H » wouldn't ask you, if his razor pulled or scraped. It doesn’t, because he’s using a regular razor of the Genco type—and he stropped it before he began to shave, just as you could strop one to shave your- self. It travels over your face so smoothly because it has been stropped. — Any barber will tell you that a perfect shaving edge can be had only on a regular razor and by stropping. That’s why barbers all use regular razors. Anybody Can Strop a GENCO Razor It’s casy, because every Genco Razor is especially designed to strop. Its back is broad; its blade is hollow ground—ground with a slight but If your dealer hasn't GENCO asks your barber vitally necessary bevel right behind the edge. These three features com- pel every Genco to meet the strop at the right angle. A few light strokes and there you have a regular, professional shaving edge. Go to your dealer and ask to sce a Genco. Look for the features men- tioned. Notice the beautiful steel in it—hand-ground, perfectly tem- pered, good for a lifetime. You'll be surprised at the reasonable price charged for such a good razor. “That same keen, businesslike blade every morn- ing will save you a lot of time and money. You'll buy one, because it looks right, feels right, and perhaps because of our sweeping guarantee—“Genco Razors must make good or we will.” And, after shaving with it, you'll boast of it as a find. Razors, write to us for one Geneva Cutlery Corporation 48 Gates Avenue, Geneva, N. Y. Largest Manulacturers of High grade Razors in the World