Life — December 18, 1919 — page 45: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a 1919 advertisement for Rubberset Brushes, not political satire. The ad frames grooming tools as ideal gifts—positioning a shaving brush and hair brush as items that create "cherished recollections of a friend, loving and well beloved" over time. The imagery shows a domestic morning scene with someone at a mirror, establishing brushes as intimate, daily-use items. The copy emphasizes durability ("everlastingly in hard rubber"), suggesting these practical gifts endure like fond memories. This reflects early 20th-century marketing strategy: transforming utilitarian objects into sentimental gifts by appealing to emotion and nostalgia. The "radiant Christmas morn" reference targets holiday shopping, a growing consumer practice of the era.