Life, 1919-07-17 · page 36 of 40
Life — July 17, 1919 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon but an **advertisement/editorial piece** from Life magazine promoting the value of reading advertisements. The content addresses the (presumably female) family member responsible for household purchasing—a significant economic role in early-20th-century domestic life. The piece frames wise shopping as a business skill requiring "knowledge of goods," encouraging readers to study advertisements as educational tools. Notably, it also calls on *all* family members to read ads and assist the primary shopper by identifying new products and providing information about "tastes and styles and values." The message reflects the era's recognition of household purchasing power while promoting advertising itself as a public service. This self-interested pitch—essentially asking readers to consume more advertising—was typical of Life's approach to monetizing its publication through advertiser partnerships.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHO DOES the BUYING FOR YOUR FAMILY? There is someone in your family who has a big respon- sibility. Food to buy for the table; clothes for the children and grown-ups; new household utensils, linen, furniture, books and all the hundred and one little things for which the family income is spent. In most families, one person does the bulk of the buying. And it is that person’s job to see that the money is well spent—that you all get full value for every cent that goes out. The success of a family depends on wise buying just as the success of a business does. Wise buying means intel- ligent buying. It is necessary to have knowledge of goods. The best way to get this knowledge is by reading adver- tisements. They tell you what is new and good. Not only the person who does the buying but every member of the family should read advertisements. It is the duty of all the others to help the one who does the buying by pointing out advertisements of new goods and giving all the information possible as to tastes and styles and values. Advertisements are published for your benefit. Make use of them by reading them. \ cei? Gee. Bee. Are. LIFE’S Advertising Manager, 31st St., West, No. 17, New York B. F. Provandie, Western Mgr., Marquette Bldg., 1537, Chicago comicbooks.com