Life, 1920-01-22 · page 31 of 36
Life — January 22, 1920 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. The page uses humor to sell Ruud Automatic Gas Water Heaters. The joke: The opening cartoon shows a bathroom faucet labeled "HOT" that delivers only cold water—a common household frustration of the era. The text humorously suggests a question mark would be more honest than the word "HOT" on most faucets. The solution pitched is the Ruud heater, which promises instant hot water 24/7 throughout the home. The advertisement emphasizes reliability (tested 25+ years, 150,000 in use) and universal availability (fits any home size). The small cartoon illustrations show the problem (disappointed users) and the product itself—a large cylindrical gas water heater unit shown on the right. This reflects early-to-mid 20th-century home comfort anxieties: reliable hot water was still a luxury many households lacked consistently. The ad's placement in *Life* magazine targeted middle-class readers who could afford modern gas appliances.
📄 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 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 thing 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 FR U U WATER HEATER “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 Maters of Sta Kowd Manufacturing € comicbooks.com