Life, 1907-08-15 · page 28 of 28
Life — August 15, 1907 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It appeared in *Life* magazine (dated August 15, though year unclear from image). The ad features an elderly man with exaggerated facial features holding Williams' Shaving Stick products. The tagline promises the soap won't "smart or dry on the face"—addressing a genuine consumer complaint about harsh soaps of the era. The "joke" or appeal is positioning Williams' as gentler than competitors' quick-drying formulas that supposedly irritated skin. The phrase "An Old Friend in a New Dress" refers to the product's redesigned packaging: a "handsome, heavily nickeled box with hinged cover" (versus the older leatherette-covered metal box). This reflects early 20th-century advertising strategy: emphasizing product improvements and appealing to comfort-conscious male consumers during an era when shaving was a significant daily ritual.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE: Williams’ “xz4, “The only kind that won't smart or dry on the face ” harsh, quick-drying soap irritates and disfigures the face. A delicate, creamlike, refreshing soap like Williams’ Shaving Soap is soothing to the skin and preserves its natural fresh, healthful texture. Our new, handsome, heavily nick- eled box with hinged cover is an added attraction to Williams’ Shaving Stick. Williams’ Shaving Stick can also be had in the leatherette-covered metal box, as formerly. Send 4c. for sample in nickeled, slip-top box. Address THE J. B. WILLIAMS COMPANY, Dept.A, Glastonbury, Conn. comicbooks.com