Life, 1913-04-03 · page 52 of 52
Life — April 3, 1913 — page 52: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The J.B. Williams Company promotes their patented "Holder Top" shaving stick—a soap stick with a metal cap that functions as a grip, allowing users to shave without touching the soap directly as it diminishes. The advertisement emphasizes practical benefits: the holder keeps fingers clean, and the remaining soap is fully usable (addressing waste concerns). It appeals to masculine vanity by describing the lather's luxurious qualities and the pleasure of morning shaving. The page showcases four product formats (stick, powder, cream) and offers a "Special Offer" combination package for 24 cents in stamps, with individual samples available for 4 cents. The era's marketing strategy combined functional innovation with aspirational appeals to male grooming and self-care.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
April 3, 1913 Williams’ er Top ® sticks TED to throw this much away Your fingers, you see, need never touch the soap. The top forms a holder, permitting a firm grip on the stick until the last bit is used March winds are trying to a man’s face. It is then that he especially needs the thick, comforting, creamy lather of Williams’ Shaving Soap. And such lather! Lather that leaves your face like velvet! Lather so softening and refreshing that you look forward with pleasure to your morning shave. You will see the difference at once if you have been using other soaps. Four forms of the same good quality: Williams’ Shaving Stick ig,theHinged-cover Williams’ Holder Top Shaving Stick Williams’ Shaving Powder {g,he Hinged-cover Williams’ Shaving Cream Ga Tubes) SPECIAL OFFER—Men’s Combination Package consisting of a liberal trial sample of Williams’ Holder Top Shaving Stick, Shaving Powder, Shaving Ceara, Jersey Cream Toilet Soap, Vioiet Talc Powder and Dental Cream. Postpaid for 24 cents in’ stamps. A single sample of either of the above articles sent for 4 cents in stamps. Address The J. B, WILLIAMS CO., Dept. A., Glastonbury, Conn. Williams’ Shaving Stick, binged-cover nickeled box, comicbooks.com