Life, 1919-10-23 · page 29 of 36
Life — October 23, 1919 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **primarily an advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page promotes the Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heater. The small cartoon at top left functions as the ad's hook: it shows three faucets labeled "Hot," with the caption suggesting that a question mark would be more honest—implying many homes lack reliable hot water. This is a humorous complaint about a genuine consumer problem of the era: inconsistent or absent hot water service. The advertisement then pivots to selling the solution: Ruud heaters, which allegedly provide "hot water all over the house" 24/7. The copy emphasizes reliability (150,000 units in use, 25+ years tested), convenience, and lifetime durability. The imagery—faucets and the large water heater unit—directly illustrates the product and its benefit. There is no political or social satire here; it's straightforward early-20th-century marketing using light humor to identify a relatable household frustration, then offering a product remedy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Hot”—a Half Truth ot . on Many a Faucet On thousands of faucets, a question- mark instead of the word ‘‘HOT” would be nearer the truth. Yet it’s the easiest thirg imaginable to have a real Hot- Water Service. The Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heater solves the problem for a lifetime. With a Ruud you can get piping hot water instantly, any time, 24 hours a day by simply turning on any hot-water faucet in the house. AUTOMATIC GAS RUUD waertiete “Hot Water All Over the House” Ruud Water Heaters have been tested for over 25 years—there are 150,000 of them in use. You can get a Ruud to fit your home no matter how small or large your house may be. Go to any gas office, gas appliance store, or plumber and learn about the Ruud, the Water Heater that lasts a lifetime. Best of all, write us for our interesting book describing Ruud Hot-Water Service. Write to RUUD MANUFACTURING COMPANY Dept. C, Pittsburgh, Pa. Makers of Standardized Gas Water Heaters oud Manofactoring Co. f Canada: 371 Adelaide St. W., Toronte The Ruud goes in the basement or wherever convenient. Answersthe turn of any hot-water faucet in the house. comicbooks.com