Life, 1914-05-21 · page 52 of 52
Life — May 21, 1914 — page 52: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **entirely an advertisement**, not political satire or editorial content. It promotes Williams' "Holder-Top" shaving stick—a patented soap product from The J.B. Williams Company of Glastonbury, Connecticut (May 21, 1914). The ad's pitch emphasizes **practical convenience**: the metal holder allows users to grip the soap stick without touching it directly, and crucially, lets them use every last bit of soap rather than wasting the small end piece. This resonated in an era when economizing was valued. The ad showcases four product variants (stick, cream, powder, in tubes) and offers a trial sample for 4 cents in stamps—standard direct-mail marketing of the period. **There is no cartoon, satire, or hidden political meaning here.** It's straightforward commercial copy emphasizing hygiene, economy, and product innovation—typical of early 20th-century magazine advertising placed among editorial content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
May 21, 1914 L Nothing — the soap but your face. You hold the shaving stick by the metal holder, which allows you to use the last available bit of soap as conveniently as The Holder-Top Stick is the last word in convenience. Add to this the absolute purity of the soap and its creamy, lasting, abundant lather and you have a shaving luxury that is pretty near perfection. THREE OTHER FORMS OF THE SAME GOOD QUALITY Williams’ Shaving Stick Hites’-fqyer Williams’ Shaving Powder firesiSoyer Williams’ Shaving Cream (in tubes) A miniature trial package of Hoyo of these | foar ghavive preparations will be sent THE J. B. WILLIAMS COMPANY Dept. A, Glastonbury, Conn. ‘WILLIAMS’ JERSEY CREAM SOAP and our extensive line of Toilet Soa) eneve the same softening, eens y ecvalllant qos ale ities that de Willia Powder have ma ms’ Shaving Soaps so famous, Ask you as comicbookstcomn