Life, 1922-09-14 · page 39 of 40
Life — September 14, 1922 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes two Hotel Statler locations: existing properties in Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, and St. Louis, plus a new flagship hotel in Boston opposite Pennsylvania Terminal in New York. The "cartoon" is a **mascot/brand character**: a bellboy speaking directly to readers, explaining the Statler hotel philosophy. He emphasizes courtesy, helpfulness, and taking guest service seriously—positioning Statler hotels as modern, professionally-managed establishments. The reference to "rotten name" (bell-boy) humorously acknowledges the old-fashioned title while promoting contemporary standards: hotels now have bathrooms built-in (a relatively recent luxury in the 1920s). The packed luggage at his feet visually reinforces travel and hospitality themes. This represents early corporate branding through personified service values rather than satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i Hotels Statler Buffalo —- Cleveland ~ Detroit ~ St. Louis A new Hotel Statler (1100 rooms, 1100 baths) is now building at Buffalo, to open early in 1923; 500 more rooms will be added later. In the Park Square District of BOSTON there is to be another HOTEL STATLER, with 1,100 rooms, 1,100 baths, opening date to be announced later, [™ a Statler bell-boy (it’s a rotten name ; there haven’t been bells on the desk since the days when hotels were built with- out bath-rooms). My job’s one of being nimble and willing and pleasant, and honestly interested in doing things for you in the way you want them done. If I ever did think that I could be pert, or flip, or smitky, I’ve gotten over it; and what I most aim at is a high score on courtesy, intelligence and helpfulness. Mr. Statler has told the world what my instructions are ; I’ll tell you that I take ’em seriously. Pennsylvania Opp. Pennsylvania Terminal, New York. The Largest Hotel in the World comicbooks.com