Life, 1919-09-25 · page 5 of 40
Life — September 25, 1919 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** rather than political satire. The Irish Linen Society of Belfast is marketing True Irish Linen to American consumers, likely in the 1920s-1930s based on the styling. The ad uses emotional appeal rather than humor: an oval photograph shows a woman in elegant period dress handling fine linen fabric by candlelight, suggesting luxury and domestic refinement. The tagline "There is no substitute for Linen" emphasizes product superiority. The text addresses "people who pride themselves on their household appointments," positioning Irish linen as a status symbol. It acknowledges post-WWI economic realities—rising labor costs and flax shortages—to justify pricing while claiming this represents "fullest value for the price." This is marketing, not satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
£9 aay won <p ano S Vere IS NO substitute for wnen People who pride themselves on their household appointments will be glad that True Irish Linen is again available in moderate quantities. Rising labor costs and a grave shortage of raw material—flax—prohibits the price of this matchless fabric being lowered, so that the Irish Linen being offered in the best retail shops represents the fullest value for the price. When one considers the real worth and traditional charm of True Irish Linen, it will be seen that this is the time to buy Linen, while it is obtainable—be- cause nothing can really take the place of real Linen. CheIRISH LINEN SOCIETY ys © % CL@ PR Seffner, BELFAST IRELAND @~L0 %:G) comicbooks.com