Life, 1922-01-12 · page 27 of 34
Life — January 12, 1922 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **full-page advertisement** for Phoenix Hosiery, not a political cartoon. The ornamental Art Deco border frames promotional copy rather than satirical imagery. The ad makes a playful pun on "hosiery exposition" (a trade show) by calling it "Exposiery" — a joke about stockings being visibly displayed everywhere on streets. The text emphasizes Phoenix stockings' dual appeal: they're fashionable ("elegance") yet practical and affordable ("durability," "long mileage and low cost"). It claims Phoenix achieved "first in world sales" through superior manufacturing. This appears to be typical early-20th-century *Life* magazine advertising, which often mixed product promotion with wordplay and light humor aimed at middle-class consumers—particularly women buying hosiery for their families.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Every main street and by-way is now a hosiery exposition. Exposiery! More than ever before your stockings must withstand the double test of (1) elegance and (2) durability. The remarkable advancements which have been made in Phoenix structural and dyeing processes have more than kept pace with the demands of fashion and the needs of economy. And they have put Phoenix first in world sales, by giving it long mileage and low cost—for all the family. PHOENIX HOSIERY comicbooks.com