Life, 1917-09-20 · page 31 of 40
Life — September 20, 1917 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **World War I advertisement**, not satire. It depicts two soldiers—one American (left, in campaign hat) and one Allied soldier, likely British (right, in pith helmet)—as endorsements for a compact shaving kit designed for military use. The ad capitalizes on **patriotic sentiment** during America's WWI involvement. It claims the Gillette razor became the standard for Allied armies due to battlefield demand, and that a young Gillette officer on the Mexican Border helped develop this specific compact "Service Model" for soldiers' kits. The pitch targets gift-givers: buy this $5 set for servicemen who must travel light and can't carry much home. It emphasizes portability and that replacement blades are available "anywhere in France, England, Russia and Italy"—locations where American troops operated. This is **commercial propaganda** leveraging wartime patriotism to drive sales by positioning the product as essential military equipment endorsed by soldiers themselves.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
_" Gillette U.S.Service Set It Fits the Kit or the Pocket ERE is how the Great War developed the most compact and efficient shaving outfit in the world. From the start, all the Allied Armies called for Gillette Razors— @ first by thousands, then by hundreds of thousands, All sorts of sets— leather, metal, Standard Sets and Pocket Editions. The demand finally centered on the Metal cases: they stood the racket. Suggestions came from every front. A year ago our own boys were called to the Mexican Border: among them a young Officer from the Gillette Organization. He came back with an idea—a soldier's idea of what the Gillette means to the fighting man—the best model to go in the soldier's Kit or the sailor's Ditty-box! We went to work on a Service Model— sifted all the suggestions, all the ideas, and de- veloped them. hen Uncle Sam jumped into the Big War the Gillette was ready to do its bit. So here is the new U. S. Service Set: a solid metal case, heavy nickel-plated and embossed with the Insignia of the U.S. Army and Navy. Strong, thin, compact; 17% inches wide, f inches long, 9% inch thick. It fits the Kit or slips into the breast pocket of the srt or coat. Contains a nickel-plated Gillette Safety Razor, Blades and Blade Box. Indestructible Treach Mirror inside the lid The U. S. Army Regulations call for a shaving outfit. Every man has to bring his own. Here is his favorite razor and the one that takes up the least room. You ough t to see the boys reach for them! Every man in Khaki ought to have one. If you're a friend of his give it to him, or get it to him. Most jifts he will have to leave behind. This one he will carry with fim and use every day. No Strops or Hones. Nothing to carry but the compact little case, and new Blades can be had anywhere in France, England, Russia and Italy. The Gillette U.S. Service Set is a leading sfecialty with Gillette Dealers everywhere Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass., U.S.A. Gillette Safety Razor Company of Canada, Ltd. 73 St. Alexander Street, Montreal If he has already yone, you can send him a Gillette U. S. Service Set by mail. If your dealer does not have this Set. send us $5 and your Sammie’s address, and we will make free delivery direct to his hands from our Paris Office or to any American Cantonment from our Boston Office. run | comicbooks.com