Life, 1920-12-02 · page 21 of 97
Life — December 2, 1920 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. The page features a Christmas advertisement for Whitman's Chocolates positioned within *Life* magazine's "Christmas Life" section. The central image depicts Santa Claus as a "Whitman's Messenger"—a cheerful, rotund Santa carrying an oversized Whitman's Sampler box, with smaller figures below also holding the product. The visual joke is straightforward: Santa has become Whitman's delivery agent, suggesting the candy is so desirable that even Santa endorses it. The ad copy appeals to middle/upper-class sensibilities by describing Whitman's as luxury goods for people with "good taste" who "seldom indulge." Various package names—"Pink of Perfection," "Orchid," "Aristocrat"—reinforce this positioning as premium confections. The text emphasizes the product's seventy-nine-year heritage, establishing brand tradition and reliability. This represents early-to-mid 20th-century advertising strategy: associating commercial products with beloved cultural figures (Santa) and aspirational class identity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas is happiest when Santa brings i Sif” Whitman’s Chocolates and Confections eee Santa Claus knows that everybody wants good candy at Christmas. For seventy-nine years he has been taking them Whitman’s. A Christmas thought! In inakieg up your list to give Whitman’s, remember the people to whom they would be the greatest treat of all, persons who have good taste to appreciate the finest things, but who seldom indulge in them. Ask your nearest Whitman agent to show you the varied packages, including the Sampler, the Fussy, the Nuts Chocolate Covered, the Super Extra, the Pink of Perfection, the Orchid— each an aristocrat in its own individual way. STEPHEN F. WHITMAN & SON, Inc., Philadelphia, U.S. A. Sole makers of Whitman's Instantaneous Chocolate, Cocoa and Marshmallow Whip comicbooks.com