Life, 1920-06-24 · page 40 of 41
Life — June 24, 1920 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Williams' Holder Top Shaving Stick through personification and testimonial. The central figure is "Williams"—not a real person but an anthropomorphized brand mascot depicted as a cheerful, bald man. The ad's humor relies on treating the shaving product as if it were a beloved, adaptable character with "75 years of experience" and a "gentle, soothing manner" that never becomes "dry" (a pun, since shaving products shouldn't dry skin). The joke is: "You can't rub him the wrong way"—meaning the product works reliably under any conditions, while also playing on the phrase as a personality trait. The ad compares Williams favorably to "near-relatives" (competing brands), claiming superior quality and a unique charm that makes it recognizable "in the crowd." This reflects early 20th-century advertising that gave brands human personalities to build consumer loyalty.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“You can't rub him the wrong way’ “That's the beauty of that fellow Williams’—his ability to adapt ss himself to whatever condition arises. He can get on without pull Re-loads tital Resend tick —his rich and creamy lather has satisfied his thousands of friends Wiiliams The Reload b of that. Over 75 years of experience have taught him all the Shaving Sti ed is ‘ curves in his business. And even the young blades admit that | *ving stick cBOD) ene toe tn ra te daily contact with him seems to make them sharper. , . fae) “Williams’ has a lot of near-relatives. But somehow they F 0 don’t seem to have quite his gentle, soothing manner—or his The J. B. Williams Co. perpetual good-humor that never becomes dry. “If you don’t know Williams’ take a tip from me and make Williams’ his acquaintance. You won't have any trouble picking him out yonder of the crowd.” Williams & THE JB WILLIAMS COMPANY MAKERS ALSO OF MATINEE VIOUTS. ee ian HER TOILET SOAPS, TALC POWDER. DENTAL CALAM ETC. Send 10 cents for Dept. A Glastonbury, Conn. comicbooks.com