Life — August 24, 1911 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Wrigley's Spearmint Gum Advertisement This is a **commercial advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Wrigley's Spearmint gum using a uniformed doorman or bellhop figure pointing to direct a small child customer toward the product. The ad's messaging emphasizes that the gum is universally available ("the first store you come to") and sold everywhere—cigar stores, drugstores, candy shops, and small stands. It claims health benefits typical of early 20th-century advertising: pure mint leaf, white teeth, pure breath, and improved digestion. The "spear" logo reference and tagline "The flavor lasts!" were Wrigley's standard marketing. This represents typical American consumer advertising from the early 1900s, before modern regulations restricted health claims on candy products.