Life, 1923-07-26 · page 42 of 42
Life — July 26, 1923 — page 42: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward **advertisement** for Pro-phy-lac-tic brand brushes, made by Florence Manufacturing Company of Massachusetts. The page features a black-and-white photograph of a woman examining her hands/nails, presumably after using the advertised hand brush. The ad emphasizes the brush's practical durability ("good hard use day in and day out") and aesthetic appeal ("good-looking brushes to keep in your bathroom"). Key selling points include sturdy aluminum construction, thickly-set bristles for cleaning hands and nails "with minimum effort," and a satisfaction guarantee—if unsatisfied, customers could return it for replacement. The ad also promotes a companion product: the "Pen-e-tra-tor Hair Brush," available in various styles. Both products came in distinctive yellow boxes. This represents typical early 20th-century advertising strategy: combining practical product information with aspirational imagery of middle-class domesticity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A brush that’s made for business A hand brush is needed for good hard use day in and day out. Pro-phy-lac-tic Hand Brushes are made for such use. But they are also good-looking brushes to keep in your bathroom. Their sturdy construction enables them to give unusually long service. The thickly set bristles placed in an aluminum bristle bea are a mighty effective means of Keeping your hands and nails clean with minimum effort. YouwilllikethewayaPro-phy-lac-ticHand Brush fits into your hand. Iris easy to hold Every one of thesehand brushescomesinan individual sanitary yellow box. If you buy one thatis not absolutely satisfactory in every way, return it to us, and we will replace it. The Pro-phy-lac-tic Pen-e-tra-tor Hair Brush, sold in the yellow box, is made in several styles to suit various thicknesses of hair. Send for booklet. FLORENCE MANUFACTURING CO. Florence, Mass., U. S. A. Makers of the famous Pro-phy-lac-tic Tooth Brush 7 Brushes _ all dealers in the United States and Canada comicbooks.com