Life, 1912-11-07 · page 37 of 60
Life — November 7, 1912 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an **advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes O'Sullivan's rubber heels for shoes. The "cartoon" is a decorative illustration of Eve (the biblical first woman) emerging from foliage—establishing the advertisement's central conceit: that Eve walked barefoot in Eden with healthy, comfortable feet, but modern women suffer foot pain from hard shoes and pavement. The ad's argument is straightforward marketing: O'Sullivan's elastic rubber heels restore the natural comfort Eve enjoyed by cushioning steps and promoting graceful walking. The heels allegedly protect shoes, stockings, floors, and the wearer's health. For modern readers, the notable element is the **gendered marketing**—addressing "wise women" and emphasizing "graceful walking," reflecting early-20th-century assumptions about femininity and foot health. The biblical reference to Eve, while now seeming quaint, was a familiar rhetorical device in vintage advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Footsteps of Kuve In those days human feet were healthy and happy —they stepped lightly over the sward. Since then hard-heeled shoes and unyield- ing pavements have come to hammer the foot, injure the arch, and waste nervous energy. Wise women are taking a step toward the foot comfort of Eve by cushioning every step with the elastic OSullivan’s Heels Kae Part of Every Perfect Shoe—they lengthen the life of shoe, stocking, hardwood floor, and wearer. Best of all, they induce the springy step which is neces- sary to graceful walking Attaching won't delay delivery of your new shoes. Any shoestore. comicbooks.com