Life, 1922-03-09 · page 27 of 34
Life — March 9, 1922 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **candy advertisement**, not political satire. It's a full-page ad for Whitman's Sampler chocolates, showing a styled still-life photograph of the candy box alongside a decorative embroidered sampler (a piece of needlework). The ad connects the product to nostalgic Americana: it references how young girls historically created cross-stitch samplers as domestic crafts and kept them as family heirlooms. Whitman's marketing strategy linked their chocolate box design to this tradition, positioning their product as both refined and wholesome. The "quaint beauty" language and historical framing appealed to early-20th-century consumers' sentimentality about the past. The ad emphasizes exclusivity ("selected stores") and longevity ("favorites since 1842"), suggesting quality and heritage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Then little girls rivalled each other in dainty cross-stitch work and the finished samplers were hung on the walls and kept as heirlooms. Pictured above is Whitman’s Sampler—that famous box of candy—and hanging over the side- board is the sampler which in- spired the design of the package. The Sampler delights the eye with its quaint beauty. Sample its chocolates and confections chosen from ten of our leading packages— favorites since 1842. Sold only by the selected stores that are agents for Whitman’s. There’s one near you. Look for the sign— comicbooks.com