Life, 1924-05-29 · page 3 of 38
Life — May 29, 1924 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **Ben Wade pipe advertisement** masquerading as editorial content. The illustration at top shows well-dressed men in a social gathering, smoking pipes—a scene of genteel leisure. The text uses Mark Twain as a celebrity endorsement, claiming pipes are "a wonderful smoke." The article emphasizes that Ben Wade pipes are superior products, noting their "exclusive finish" and quality materials. The advertisement lists numerous retailers across North America, positioning Ben Wade as an established brand "since 1870." The bottom features the company's logo and two pipe illustrations. This represents **early 20th-century advertorial marketing**—blending promotional content with magazine editorial to appear as genuine journalism rather than advertising. The focus on masculine sophistication and celebrity association reflects era-typical consumer messaging.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NOWADAYS ONE SEES PIPES SMOKED EVERYWHERE, ANY TIME, Ss, IT WOULD SEEM Smoke It One Day and It’s Months-Mellowed I OST men join Mark Twain in the idea that a pipe is a wonderful smoke—after it’s broken in. But rather than put their tongues through the third degree, they'll forego the pleasure that only a pipe can give and say to you, ‘Sure I'd like to smoke a pipe, but I hate to break it in.” Ben Wade has made the “‘break in’ as obsolete as side whiskers. Smoke your Ben Wade one day and it’s months-mellowed.. . sweet, fragrant, and just as “broken in’? as you'll ever want it to be. And it stays that way. There’s no trick to it. It’s all in the fine briar and the way it’s treated. The inside of the bowl, you will notice, is light colored. That’s the exclusive Ben Wade finish. The pores are opened . and kept open. There’s nothing to taste; nothing to burn out. You taste the full flavor of the tobacco you're smoking and never the pipe. All of the irreconcilables who thought they'd never smoke a pipe change their minds with the first day’s smoking. And all of the pipe regulars have put their tongues on a happy, lifelong vacation. So, if you'll be tramping the fairway this summer, or casting your bait where the bass ought to be, or doing any of those things where a pipe is part of the picture, just give up all the old ideas and try a Ben Wade. Pretty soon you'll be smoking it at home, in the office, every- where and any time. Men and Ben Wades have been close friends since the 70’s when old Ben Wade began his career of pipe maker to the English gentry. Typical OMETHING of the quality of Ben Wade Pipes—and other articles sponsored by Har gtaft—is indicated by the type of their dis utors. ‘The following is a partial list of ret and wholesalers: k& Eat Jos. T. Sayder T.M. Wood kK Cigar springfield, Mats—M. H. Barnett Ye! WON'T kind of store nists, such as find Ben Wade at every Go to the better tobacco- HARGRAFT & SONS 336 North Michigan Ave. 916 Pender St Vancouver, B. C. comicbooks.com