Life, 1921-10-20 · page 27 of 34
Life — October 20, 1921 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a political cartoon but a **product advertisement** for Whitman's Sampler candy, published in *Life* magazine. The page showcases an opened box of assorted candies with various compartments displaying different confections. The advertisement's strategy emphasizes **curation and prestige**: each sweet in the sampler was allegedly "selected" from Whitman's ten most popular products, representing candies that have "won the votes" of America's most discerning candy buyers. The ad targets women specifically, noting they appreciate the "quaint box" enough to keep it after consuming the contents. The copy stresses the company's heritage (operating since 1842) and quality control. This reflects early 20th-century marketing that positioned branded, packaged goods as trustworthy alternatives to bulk candy, appealing to middle-class consumers' desire for known quality and refined taste. There is no satire or political content—this is straightforward commercial messaging typical of *Life* magazine's advertising sections.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Building a famous box of candy How each one of these sweets won the right to its place in The Sampler If you were to have in front of you at this moment the ten most famous Whitman packages and were to select from each candies to make up an assortment that would be a “sampler” of them all, you would follow exactly the method we used in making up Whitman’s Sampler. Every sweet in this unique package is a long-tested favorite from other packages of Whitman’s—famous since 1842. Every sweet in the Sampler has “won the votes” of the most critical purchasers of candy in America. Everything about the Sampler is unusual—the quality of the sweets, the way they were selected and the quaint box that women like so much to keep. Stores that sell the Sampler sell the other Whitman packages, and receive them all direct from the makers. STEPHEN F. WHITMAN & SON, Inc., Philadelphia, U. S. A. Sole makers of Whitman's Instantaneous Chocolate, Cocoa and Marshmallow Whip New York Branch: Chicago Branch : 215 W. 33rd St. 1537 Michigan Ave., South 25 comicbooks.com