Life, 1920-01-29 · page 36 of 38
Life — January 29, 1920 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an **advertisement for advertising itself**, not a cartoon. It's a earnest (not satirical) piece promoting the social and economic benefits of advertisements. The page argues that national advertising creates national unity by exposing Americans across regions—from Oregon to New York to Arizona—to identical products and messages. The named characters (Jim Hawkins, Cousin Peter) exemplify this: they're geographically separated but share consumer experiences through ads. The argument reflects **early 20th-century advertising industry thinking**: that standardized national marketing breaks down regional divisions, fosters common ground, and improves consumer choice and value. A modern reader should recognize this as **corporate advocacy disguised as social commentary**—claiming advertising serves national cohesion rather than profit. By today's standards, the pitch appears naive or propagandistic: it conflates commercial consumption with genuine cultural unity and uncritically assumes advertised goods are inherently superior to unadvertised ones. The ad is signed by LIFE's advertising department, making clear this is industry self-promotion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Reading advertisements has helped to make this a united country Jim Hawkins props his feet on the rose-festooned porch railing in an Oregon suburb and reads the same motor car advertisement that Cousin Peter is studying as he rides home from work in the New York subway. In Arizona you can buy the same tooth-paste and tobacco that are used by the folks in Maine. California fruit growers advertise their oranges and lemons to the people of the East. New Hampshire factories make ice cream freezers for ‘Vexas households. There can be no division in a country so bound to- gether by taste, habit and custom. You can meet up with anybody in the United States and quickly get on a conversational footing because you both read the same advertisements. Advertising is the guide to what's good to buy. Ad- vertisements give you the latest news from the front line of business progress. Reading advertisements enables you to get more for your money because they tell you where, what and when to buy. And-it isa well-known fact that adver- tised goods are more reliable and better value than the unadvertised kind. 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