Life, 1921-06-16 · page 36 of 36
Life — June 16, 1921 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon** but a **commercial advertisement** from Life magazine's early 20th century. The page advertises Holeproof brand hosiery (stockings) using an illustration of a woman in a spider-web patterned robe with arms outstretched. The advertisement plays on the "trim ankles" visible beneath the short skirt—a noteworthy fashion detail for the era when hemlines were rising. The text uses suggestive language ("demurely alluring," "fascinate, captivate") linking the hosiery's appeal to the woman's attractiveness. It emphasizes the product's sheer, lustrous quality and durability ("wonderful wearing qualities"), positioning stockings as both fashionable and functional. The spider-web motif appears decorative rather than satirical. This reflects the period's marketing strategy: selling practical goods by associating them with female beauty and allure.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
© H. H. Co. “PRM les, demurely alluring. How they fascinate, captivate. And well sHe knows glove-fitting Holeproof Hosiery makes them so. In this short-skirted era, Holeproof is becoming as famous for its sheerness, shapeliness and lustrous beauty, as it is for wonderful wearing qualities. Leading stores are now showing the newest ideas for Spring in staple and fancy styles in Pure Silk, in Silk Faced and in Lisles for men, women and children. HOLEPROOF HOSIERY COMPANY, MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN Holeproof Hosiery Company of Canada, Limited, London, Ont. & comicbooks.com