Life — July 1, 1920 — page 56: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **Colgate's shaving products advertisement** disguised as theatrical entertainment—not political satire. The "play" uses personified shaving implements as characters: **Razor** (the lead), **Brush** and **Lather** (supporting roles), and **Beard** (the antagonist). The plot is simply the shaving process itself—a three-act narrative where lather and brush prepare the face, the razor cuts cleanly, and beard is defeated. The humor is mild and whimsical: naming the razor "Cole Gates" (a pun on "Colgate"), characterizing lather as dependent on brush, and framing shaving as a heroic battle. The ad emphasizes that Colgate's stick form is economical and requires minimal "rubbing-in." There is **no political or social commentary** here—this is pure product marketing using theatrical framing to make a mundane grooming routine entertaining to magazine readers. The "satire" is gentle and commercial, typical of early 20th-century advertising's attempt to engage readers beyond straightforward product claims.