Life — June 12, 1919 — page 35: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily an **advertisement for Fezall Oldodies** (a product whose exact nature is unclear from the image alone, though the box illustration suggests some kind of small confection or candy). The ad's central claim—"They work naturally and form no habit"—appears to be **satirizing patent medicines and proprietary products** common in early 20th-century advertising. The phrase "form no habit" is particularly telling, as it references contemporary anxieties about addiction to substances like cocaine, morphine, and other ingredients found in unregulated medicines of the era. The ad's reassurance that the product works "naturally" and creates "no habit" suggests Life magazine is mocking the exaggerated health claims and addiction concerns surrounding commercial products of that period.