Life, 1924-03-20 · page 8 of 42
Life — March 20, 1924 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **clothing advertisement**, not political satire. Hart Schaffner & Marx, a men's clothing manufacturer, advertises their quality suits to encourage gradual wardrobe building. The illustration shows a man at his closet selecting from multiple jackets and suits. The ad's message targets middle-class men concerned about appearing well-dressed: rather than buying one expensive suit, accumulate several quality garments over time. The copy emphasizes that all-wool Hart Schaffner & Marx clothes "last a long, long time," making gradual investment practical. This reflects early 20th-century consumer culture, when branded quality goods promised durability and status. The ad assumes its male reader aspires to maintain a varied, respectable wardrobe—a marker of professional success and social standing in that era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HART SCHAFFNER & MARX QUALITY SOON GIVES YOU A WARDROBE It’s easy enough to say a man should have a half dozen suits in his wardrobe - it’s another thing to get them The answer is accumulate them gradually Get good all-wool clothes whenever you buy If they’re made the way we make them, they'll last a long, long time Before long you'll have a variety of clothes and you'll be proud of them all f | Sapo va, Pere Shuto & Mary comicbooks.com