Life, 1920-04-15 · page 34 of 44
Life — April 15, 1920 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **product advertisement** for the AutoStrop Razor, not political satire. The ad addresses a practical consumer problem: safety razor blades dull quickly, requiring frequent replacement, while straight razors demand tedious manual stropping. The AutoStrop promises a solution—a razor with a built-in stropping mechanism that automatically sharpens the blade without removal. The small cartoon in the upper right (titled "Walls") is unrelated humor about the inconvenience of walls in domestic spaces—a lighthearted joke about how walls impede movement and eavesdropping during parties. The bottom of the page includes a separate "Fingerprint Experts" job-training advertisement. This reflects early 20th-century *Life* magazine's mix of satirical content with conventional advertising. There is **no political commentary** here—just commercial marketing and domestic humor typical of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The most convenient, efficient razor outfit A safety razor and stropping device combined in one O you know why it is the ordinary safety razor blade givesonlya few good shaves sometimes but one ortwo? Why it grows duller and duller every time it is used? Do you know why a straight razor must be constantly stropped, with painstaking care, to keep it in condition? Look at any razor blade under a microscope and you will see hundreds of tiny teeth. Shaving bends these teeth out of line— makes them irregular. It is when these irregular teeth “catch” in the beard, “pull” on the tiny hair follicles, and “scrape” the skin surface that’ shaving becomes so very unpleasant. You don’t need to put up with the discomfort of fast dulling blades. You can eliminate the bother and expense of putting a new blade in your safety razor every day or two. If you use a straight razor you can do away with the tedious care necessary to keep it in condition. You can avoid the drawbacks of all old-fashioned shaving tools if vou use the AutoStrop Razor. Sharpens itself No skill in stropping is necessary to renew the fine keen edge of the AutoStrop Razor blade, Just slip the strop through the razor head and pass the razor back and forth along the strop. You don't have to take the razor apart, nor even remove the blade. Because of its unique, patented design, the AutoStrop Razor can be stropped without removing the blade. Just slip the strop through the razor head. Give the razora dozen quick passes over the strop. In ten seconds you have a “new” sharp shaving edge! 500 cool shaves are guaranteed from each package of blades. Get an AutoStrop Razor today and know the joy of a “new” sharp edge every morning! Ask your dealer about the free trial. AutoStrop Razor = sharpens its elf SOME PLACE. NOW, TAK PEED WITH PIVE Ow SIN UTE Second Di Walls ALLS are, withe convenience n paper-hangers wou would be trampled under hath tub ow 1 he through the ceiling walls the ceiling would ¢ ing the mashed pota putting out the lamp and breaking o the party on the sofa. Walls are closely relate! species of the human far have cars and hear not them an object fear and chambermaids whisper enee of walls, They have spect for walls than for | he Foreign Relations Ce the Senate, however, the walls when discu: of Nations. In consequ said reached to the floor o and even to the White Hous That was bad business xample for the rest of us. We always be as discreet as possible presence of walls. We EARN $2,500 TO $5,000 A YEAR YOU can learn this most fasci profession infew weeks’ eno previous experience FEDERAL FINGER PRINT INSTITUT, 654 Kemper Building comicbooks.com