Life, 1914-08-13 · page 40 of 40
Life — August 13, 1914 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Colgate soap advertisement** disguised as comic entertainment. The "motor movie" follows Mr. and Mrs. Brown on a car ride—a novelty activity in 1914 when automobiles were still relatively new luxuries. The satirical hook: Mrs. Brown's complexion suffers from wind and dust during their drive. Her neighbor Mrs. Green recommends Colgate soap and cold cream, citing its use by Parisians and its victory at the 1900 Paris Exposition. The narrative builds to the endorsement that Colgate products provide the solution to modern problems (like automobile travel damaging skin). The humor lies in the absurd juxtaposition—early 20th-century anxieties about new technology (cars) are "solved" by aggressive marketing of beauty products. The asterisked notes claim these are real incidents and professional instructions, adding mock-authenticity to what is obviously commercial propaganda. This represents early **advertorial comics**, blending editorial cartooning style with product placement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
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