Life, 1887-06-16 · page 16 of 16
Life — June 16, 1887 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not political satire. The dominant content is a Pears' Soap promotional feature centered on "Strobic Circles"—an optical illusion device invented by Professor Silvanus P. Thompson. Users would hold the printed diagram by a corner and twist it to create the visual effect of rotating concentric circles. The advertisement references **Mrs. Langtry**, likely Lillie Langtry, a famous actress and socialite of the era, lending celebrity endorsement to the soap's complexion benefits—a common advertising strategy of the period. The remainder of the page contains standard advertisements for luxury goods: Decker Brothers pianos, Delbeck champagne, Paillard music boxes, Barry's hair tonic, and men's clothing. This reflects the magazine's affluent readership and the commercial nature of Life magazine in the 1890s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
F |PEARS’ SOAP---Recommended and used by Mrs. Langtry for the complexion Litters 1 Kecocdbefitl, ; STROBIC CIRCLES INVENTED BY PROFESSOR SILYANUS P. THOMPSON, D.Sc, B.A. BROTHERS’ MATCHLESS PIANOS 33 Union Square, N. Y. DELBECK+- ‘XTRA DRY and _ ZA = y 3 8 Hi 3 & eo e bi 3 7 5 5 $ Po o = o o a --) i — J —_ = a = iJ ao = cs 2 => o = = = =} = a 2 & ao = é = _—] J a cs iJ ao = = o |e 3 oc 7 : ia a = Ss a a! co < ui a Procurable Everywhere. We offer the DELBECK CHAMPAGNES| with a full conviction that there are no better wines imported. WE EXCEPT NONE. E. LAMONTAGNE & SONS, 53, 55 and 57 Beaver Street. Paillard’s MUSIC BOXES ARE THE BEST. They play selections from all the Standard and Light Operas and the most Popular Music of the Day. Send stamp for Descriptive Hop this Diagram by the right-hand bottom corner and give it a slight but rapid circular twisting motion, when each circle will separately revolve on its own axis. The inner Price List to cogged wheel -will-be seen to revolve in an ofposzte direction. M. J. PAILLARD & (0., N.B:—Please place this in your Scrap Book, 680 Broadway, New York City. Protectec: Against infringement and solely controlled by The Leadenhall Press, London, E.C. (Factory at STE. CROIX, SWITZERLAND.) PEARS’ SOAP--Makes the hands soft. as velvet. ESTABLISHED 1801. ; ? Cavanagh, Sandford & Co Merchant Tailors and Importers, FOR ei. 5 , THE HAIR. a 16 West 23d STREET, S B) Roosevett » Howann « ) The Oldest and the Best. [EELITBEAVER sev. Opposite Fifth Ave. Hotel, NEW YOR iS Gers FoR Fastens the hair where it has a tendency to fall 3 out, renews its growth where the fibres have dis- B 3 MAKERS OF appeared, preserves its color in spite of age, sickness < and sorrow, and makes it (however harsh) as flex- , THE © & § SHIRT ible and glossy as silk. ! LL | PAJAMAS AND Unperw comicbooks.com