Life, 1909-09-16 · page 32 of 32
Life — September 16, 1909 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It promotes two Williams' grooming products through early 1900s marketing rhetoric. The **Shaving Stick** ad uses the rhetorical device of questioning consumer confidence: "Would you eat something of uncertain purity?" to argue that facial products deserve equal scrutiny. It emphasizes purity by claiming manufacture in rural mills away from "germ-infected city dust"—reflecting early 20th-century anxieties about urban contamination and germ theory. The **Jersey Cream Toilet Soap** ad highlights convenience features (nickel soap box for travelers) and product quality. Both ads appeal to middle-class consumers concerned with hygiene and gentility. The language is instructional rather than satirical. The products are made by **J.B. Williams Co. in Glastonbury, Connecticut**, and cost 25 cents—typical pricing for premium grooming goods of the era. No political content or cartoon caricatures appear on this page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Wout D youwillingly eat or drink anything whose purity you were uncertain about? Ought you be any more willing to put on your face a soap that you do not feel confident is pure, delicate and neutral? Users of Williams’ Shaving Soap have the satis- faction of knowing that it is made of the purest materials, under the most sanitary conditions, in mills that are a marvel of neatness, located in the midst of green fields, far away from the possibilities of germ-infected city dust. Williams’ Shaving Sticks sent on receipt of price, 25¢., if your druggist does not supply you. A sample stick (enough for 50 shaves), for 4c. in stamps. aES RR RE Williams “The kind that won't smart September 16, 1909 Shaving Stick or dry on the face’ Williams’ Jersey Cream Toilet Soap HIS soap supplies you, in convenient form for Toilet and Bath, all the creamy, soothing, delightful qualities that have made Williams’ Shaving Soap famous. It is simply the perfection of Toilet Soap. A handsome nickeled soap box for the con venience of the many users of Jersey Crear Soap, when traveling, camping, etc., is packed (for a limited time) with every four (4) cake of the soap. If your dealer fails to supply you, we will send the deake id on receipt of post-office order for c. A The J. B. Williams Co., Dept. A, Glastonbury, Conn! ASK YOUR DRUGGIST FOR WILLIAMS’ TALCUM POWDER—TWO ODORS, VIOLET AND CARNATION comicbooks.com