Life, 1912-12-05 · page 87 of 116
Life — December 5, 1912 — page 87: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It's a Christmas gift pitch for Gillette Safety Razors from the early 20th century. The ad uses a muscular, shirtless male figure in a classical pose within a laurel wreath—evoking dignity and achievement—to market razors as practical gifts. The copy contrasts Gillette razors favorably against typical Christmas "fripperies" (frivolous items like canes, slippers, and cigar holders) that are quickly discarded. The sales pitch emphasizes utility: a razor used "365 days a year" provides lasting value versus novelty gifts. Prices range $5–$50 (roughly $150–$1,500 today), with budget options at 50 cents. The ad's rhetorical strategy—claiming practicality over frivolity—was common masculine-targeted marketing of this era, associating razors with serious, hardworking manhood rather than decoration.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
qT ‘ . thee Gift Suggestion! vty | Christmas Only -g h fs lovin A Few Days SFE : Away Z lette Safety Razor—and ably to Winter ed with $5 to $50 Silver or Gold. Plated in Nickel, or Gunmetal, a Great Variety of Patterns — Tourists’ and Trav- elers’ Sets, with Soap, Brush, and Toilet Articles you for one give him something He will use a Gillette 365 days useful—a Gillette Safety Razor in the year. It will save him time or Combination set—instead of the and money, and prove anever-failing usual Christmas fripperies, the canes, comfort and reliance. slippers, paper cutters, and cigar Standard set, $5. Combination and Travelers’ holders that disappear so soon after ets, $6 to $50. For a small gift there is nothing more acceptable than a Christmas Day. packet of Gillette Blades at 50 cents or $1.00. Gillette Safety Razor Company => 24 West Second Street, Boston comicbooks.com