Life, 1911-01-05 · page 15 of 104
Life — January 5, 1911 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **straightforward product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Pompeian Massage Cream to early automotive-era consumers. The image depicts a touring car full of passengers, establishing the social context: automobile driving was a new leisure activity causing visible skin damage. The ad's pitch targets this modern problem—that cars expose faces to "grime-gathering" and "dusty and sooty" conditions. The sales strategy emphasizes that Pompeian penetrates deeper than soap, removing embedded dirt from pores rather than just surface grime. This was a genuine selling point in an era before widespread understanding of skincare science. The "luxury" angle appeals to affluent motorists; the trial jar offer (10¢ plus postage) was a common early advertising technique. The inclusion of an "Art Calendar" as incentive reflects period marketing conventions. There is no satire here—this is period advertising reflecting genuine consumer anxieties about automotive-age pollution and emerging beauty standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
the face frequently with Pompeian Cream because it makes the pores completely clean, relaxes the drawn muscles and removes the discolored, wind-dried tissues of the skin. “Oh, the luxury of having one’s face Pompeian Clean!” has been the exclamation of many a user of Pompeian Massage Cream. Yes, to feel and see one’s face super-clean is indeed a rare luxury in these days of grime-gathering automobile drives and dusty and sooty city life. Pompeian Massage Cream “It Cleanses Completely’* Skin health is largely a matter of complete cleanliness ©{ tae facial pores. Pompeian does more than soap because it goes deeper than soap. It is the dirt in the skin (not on the skin) that must be removed to be super-clean, or as the new saying is, ‘‘ Pompeian Clean.’’ Pompeian is indispensable to those who use machines. Try a Pompeian massage after your next drive You'll be delighted. For sale by 50,000 dealers. Trial Jar and Art Calendar, both sent for 10c. (stamps or coin) to cover cost of postage and packing. For years you have heard of Pompeian's merits and benefits. To get you to act now, we will send a “Pompeian Beauty” Art Calendar, in exquisite colors, with each trial jar. This is a rare offer. The “Pompeian Beauty” which you get is very expensive and immensely popu- lar. Clip coupon now and enclose toc. to cover cost of postage and packing. Cut along Uits Line, fill in ar. 2 mail to-day, Se | A. ae es | THE POMPEIAN MFG. CO., 25 Prospect St., Cleveland, Ohio Gentlemen:--Enclosed find roc. (stamps or and packing). for which please send me a trial jar of Pot “Pompeian Beauty Art Calendar.” comicbooks.com