Life, 1912-03-07 · page 2 of 60
Life — March 7, 1912 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily an **advertisement for Naiad Dress Shields**, not satire or political commentary. The drawing by Coles Phillips shows a fashionable woman in early 20th-century dress. The accompanying text promotes dress shields—absorbent fabric pads worn under clothing at the armpits—as essential for maintaining cleanliness and protecting garments from sweat stains and odor. The ad's tagline, "The Crowning Attribute of Lovely Woman is Cleanliness," reflects period attitudes linking femininity with hygiene. The product could be "sterilized" by boiling, addressing contemporary concerns about sanitation. This represents typical early-1900s advertising that capitalized on anxieties about bodily functions and social propriety, marketing practical undergarments as markers of refinement and taste.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
COLLL PHILLI Re “The Crowning Attrilute of Lovely Woman is Cleanliness.” A woman's personal satisfaction in looking charming and dainty is doubled when she knows everything about her is exquisitely clean. NAIAD DRESS SHIELDS are thoroughly hygienic and healthful to the most delicate skin; are absolutely free from rubber, with its disagreeable odor; can be easily and quickly STERILIZED by immersing in boiling water for a few seconds only. They are preferred by well-gowned women of refined taste. AL stores or sample pair on receipt of 25¢. Every pair guaranteed, A handsome colored reproduction of this beautiful Coles Phillips drawing on heavy paper 10x12 sent for 10c. No advertising. The C, E. CONOVER CO., Mfrs. . : . 101 Franklin Street, NEW YORK comicbooks.com