Life, 1921-09-01 · page 2 of 35
Life — September 1, 1921 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **an advertisement**, not a cartoon or satirical editorial content. The Prudential Insurance Company uses a metaphorical image of an American clipper ship—a historically iconic vessel—to sell life insurance to widows. The ad's argument: Just as clipper ships were once dependent on unpredictable winds, widows today face uncertain futures. However, life insurance provides "certain protection," making them "independent" financially. The tagline—"IF EVERY WOMAN KNEW WHAT EVERY WIDOW KNOWS—EVERY MAN WOULD INSURE IN THE PRUDENTIAL"—targets male readers, urging them to buy policies to protect their wives after their deaths. This reflects early 20th-century attitudes about women's economic vulnerability and dependency, positioning insurance as the solution to widowhood's financial precarity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE AMERICAN CLIPPER SHIP, THOUGH THE FAIREST CRAFT THAT EVER SAILED THE SEVEN SEAS, WAS DE PENDENT ON UNCERTAIN WIND. TODAY THE WIDOW, ON THE VOYAGE OF LIFE, IS INDEPENDENT BECAUSE OF THE CERTAIN PROTECTION OF LIFE INSURANCE. The Prudential Insurance Company of America FORREST F. DRYDEN, Poided “ie “OFFICE, NEWARK, N. J. tate cf New IF EVERY WOMAN KNEW WHAT EVE WIDOW ‘KNOWS ‘VERY MAN WOULD |NSURE IN THE PRUDENTIAL comicbooks.com