Life, 1923-09-06 · page 39 of 40
Life — September 6, 1923 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**, but a **vintage advertisement** for Bostonian shoes, likely from the 1920s-1930s based on the design aesthetic and typography. The ad uses a practical, engineering-focused sales pitch targeting male readers: it emphasizes that shoes endure constant stress—feet spreading 3/8 inch per step, repeated thousands of times daily—so a shoe's style must be structurally durable, not merely fashionable. The tagline "Friends for Your Feet" appeals to comfort and longevity. The illustration shows "The Standish," described as a plain-toe blucher oxford in black calf leather—a conservative, professional men's shoe style of that era. The ad's message is essentially: don't buy shoes based on initial appearance; choose ones "designed to FIT your foot" with built-in durability. Priced "Seven to Twelve Dollars," it positioned Bostonians as affordable quality footwear made by Commonwealth Shoe & Leather Co. in Boston and Whitman, Massachusetts.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“A plain toe blucher oxford, intan and imported black calf for fall wear.” STYLE THAT OUTLASTS A MILLION STEPS BYE’ step your foot spreads three- eighths of an inch. So that your shoe must take up nearly half an inch difference in size thousands of timesa day. How long, then, can you count on the style that first attracted your eye? Bostonian Shoes are made with to- morrow in mind. Designed to FIT your foot—instead of being pulled out of shape by it. Their style is built in er And as for comfort—well, see what your own feet tell you. A good shoe merchant in town has your own special pair of Bostonians. Seven to Twelve Dollars COMMONWEALTH SHOE & LEATHER CO., BOSTON AND WHITMAN, MASSACHUSETTS comicbooks.com