Life — April 5, 1917 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily an **advertisement** for Mary Garden Perfume by Rigaud, not political satire. The ad uses "The Seven Wise Women of Persia" as a framing device—an ancient book supposedly advising young women on attracting men through veils and perfume. The satirical hook is the **social commentary**: the ad argues that modern women (particularly in France and America) have abandoned such old-fashioned tactics, replacing the "perfume of simple Ottar" with Mary Garden Perfume as their tool of personal expression and influence. The illustration shows two women in exotic dress above perfume bottles, playing on Orientalist fantasy rather than depicting actual Persian wisdom. The joke targets early 20th-century consumer culture and evolving gender dynamics—suggesting even "modern" women still use fragrance for social advantage, just packaged differently.