Life, 1920-03-18 · page 43 of 54
Life — March 18, 1920 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **primarily an advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The Simmons Company uses pseudo-scientific claims about sleep to sell beds and mattress springs. The text claims that poor sleep results from faulty beds—wooden beds creak, metal beds rattle, springs sag. The solution: Simmons Metal Beds with their "Clermont" coil spring system, presented as scientifically superior for "relaxation." The accompanying illustration shows a cross-section of a bedroom at night, emphasizing the bed as central to rest and health. **For modern readers:** This reflects early 20th-century marketing strategy—dressing commercial products in scientific language ("nerve force," "resilient") to suggest medical necessity rather than luxury. The claim that bed quality directly controls sleep quality would seem exaggerated today, though mattress marketing still uses similar tactics. There is no identifiable political satire or cartoon humor on this page—it's straightforward period advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
What Science Knows about Sleep LEEP is probably the most “natural” of all the func- tions. To sleep depends wholly on being nor- mal power to re/ on norm ves and the Your day’s work uses up energy, nerve force, body tissuc he one thing that will make vou fresh and fit und night's sleep laxed, nerves composed, your whole body storing up energy anew If you have trouble in sleeping soundly bed as at fault. Wooden beds are apt to creak Ordinary metal beds often rattle slightly—just enough to set your sleeping nerves on edge. Or perhaps your bed sags or humps—keeps yc instead of relaxed. Simmons Metal Bed is any probably your cles te The A Simmons Spring is alway u resilient and restful much | bed or « And Company i that ns Metal Beds the most p today in es ¢ merchants all over the Your che designs in F Lacquered Bras Prices li than for ice of ver their appea u will see tt the first tur SIMMONS COMPANY ELIZANETH ATLANTA Exccutive Offices The “CLERMONT” Simmons’ Coil Spring of Highest Grade No. 454 KENOSHA SAN FRANCISCO MONTKEAL Kenosha, Wis.) comicbooks.com