Life, 1916-11-02 · page 2 of 46
Life — November 2, 1916 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **a perfume advertisement**, not political satire. The top illustration titled "A Toilet Ritual of 3000 Years ago" depicts ancient Egyptian beauty practices in a humorous, stylized manner—showing figures applying cosmetics and using grooming tools with Egyptian hieroglyphics framing the scene. The advertisement below compares this ancient ritual to modern beauty standards by claiming Mary Garden (an actress/public figure) embodies the intelligence and beauty of **Cleopatra**. The ad suggests that using "Mary Garden Perfume" by Rigaud allows contemporary women to achieve similar allure. The satire is gentle: it humorously links vanity across millennia, implying that feminine beauty rituals are timeless. However, this is fundamentally a commercial pitch rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AToilet Ritual of 3000 Years ago Did it ever occur to you that MARY GARDEN is the incarnation of CLEO- PATRA, Queen of EGYPT? Like MARY GARDEN, she was famous for intelligence and beauty. MARY GARDEN PERFUME—the subtle fragrance specially created by RIGAUD, for the divine Prima Donna, identifies EVER YWWOMAN with a personality which renders her captivating and alluring—by accentuation of personal charm. Mary Garden Perfume Toilet Water, Talcum, Sachet and Face Powders, Rouge (Vanity Case), Massage, Cold and Grease- Jess Creams, Soap and Breath Tablets. Mastes Perfumer Paris and New York las a Regd ‘spits