Life, 1917-08-23 · page 33 of 40
Life — August 23, 1917 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not a cartoon or satire. It promotes Nujol, a mineral oil laxative made by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey), marketed from Bayonne, New Jersey. The ad addresses a relatable scenario for early 20th-century readers: returning from vacation to sedentary office work, rushed meals, and neglected exercise—leading to constipation. The colorful language ("feeling like a fighting cock") adds period charm. Nujol's pitch emphasizes it as a "safe, sensible" alternative to "harmful, irritating, habit-forming laxative drugs" of the era, claiming it's harmless because it isn't absorbed into the body. The ad stresses buying only official sealed bottles to avoid counterfeits. This reflects a time when such remedies were heavily advertised in mainstream publications and constipation was openly discussed in commercial messaging—a stark contrast to modern advertising sensibilities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Back from the Country and Feeling Fine Back fron your vacation—feeling like a fighting cock. Lots of digging in to do—and in you dig. Hours crowded with work; no time for bodily exercise; hurried meals; nature’s signals unheeded. Then comes constipation. Ward off constipation—while readjusting yourself to a sedentary occupation—with the Nujol treatment. The Nujol way is the safe, efficient way to regulate the bowels without irritation. Nujol is harmless as it is not absorbed into the system. It is the satisfactory, sensible method of freeing yourself both from con- stipation and from the use of harmful, irritating, habit-forming laxative drugs. Nujol is neither fattening nor heating. Nujol is sold in pint bottles only that are filled and sealed at the Nujol laboratories, never in bulk. At all drug stores. Refuse imitations, There is only one Nujol. Send for our Nujol booklet. Nujol jor conshipation STANDARD OIL COMPANY comicbooks.com