Life, 1912-02-22 · page 44 of 44
Life — February 22, 1912 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It appeared in *Life* magazine on February 22, 1912, promoting the Williams' Holder Top Shaving Stick. The "cartoon" element is minimal—primarily a photograph of a smiling man demonstrating the product. The ad emphasizes the innovation: a metal holder that keeps fingers clean by preventing direct contact with the soap. The stick stores upright in a nickeled container that doubles as the box. The appeal is to **modern convenience and hygiene**—concerns particularly resonant in the early 1900s when sanitation was becoming a public health focus. The ad stresses that this design is "convenient, economical and sanitary." There is no political satire or social critique visible. This is straightforward commercial advertising highlighting a practical improvement to an everyday grooming product, typical of early-20th-century marketing in general-interest magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
February 22. 1912 New —The Holder Top Shaving Stick The illustration shows the convenience and suggests the economy of the new Holder Top— the Shaving Stick de Luxe We ’ \ The ‘‘Holder Top” Shaving Stick is firmly fastened in a neat metal cap that also serves as top of box. When in use the fingers grasp the metal holder and do not touch the soap. When not in use the stick stands firmly on the holder top or can instantly be slipped Williams’ Shaving Stick Ss Holder Top Shaving Stick back into its handsome nickeled container. Williams’ Holder Top Shaving Stick not only combines all the other good qualities that have made Williams’ Soaps famous, but makes a strong appeal on account of its convenient, economical and sanitary form. Hinged Cover Nickeled Box Williams’ Holder Top Shaving Stick # Williams’ Shaving Powder < ‘The New Halder Top Stick and Container Address The J. B. Williams Company, 200 Maple Ave., Glastonbury, Conn. comicbooks.com