Life — October 18, 1923 — page 43: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is primarily a **shoe advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It's a full-page ad for Bostonians shoes by the Commonwealth Shoe & Leather Co. of Boston and Whitman, Massachusetts. **The "joke" or sales pitch:** The headline paradoxically claims you could buy Bostonians "with your eyes shut"—meaning they're so reliably good you don't need to inspect them carefully. The ad then subverts this by arguing the opposite: that *pride in appearance* matters, and these shoes deserve visual appreciation because they combine comfort with style. **The key selling points:** The shoes are described as foot-friendly (despite being dressy evening wear), individually designed, and reasonably priced ("Seven to Twelve Dollars"). **Context for modern readers:** This reflects early 20th-century consumer culture emphasizing that quality goods could be both fashionable and practical—a then-novel concept in men's footwear marketing.