Life, 1924-10-02 · page 3 of 41
Life — October 2, 1924 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **commercial advertisement**, not satire. It promotes Ben Wade pipes, manufactured by Hargraff & Sons of Chicago. The ad uses aspirational imagery: two well-dressed men in what appears to be a luxury setting, with one smoking contentedly. The accompanying text appeals to male fantasy—describing the "pipe dreams" that supposedly come true with Ben Wade products. The marketing copy emphasizes the pipe's quality: smooth smoke, proper "breaking in," and full flavor without wood smoke or burning. It suggests that Ben Wade pipes deliver the "pleasant smoking" experience every man dreams about. The page represents typical early 20th-century advertising strategy: using social status imagery and emotional appeal to sell consumer goods to middle-class men.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Actual size of “Toe Squire” 35 ether shapes and sizes Is THERE a man who hasn’t dreamed of a pipe that would never fail to give him a sweet and mellow smoke, that wouldn’t need ‘‘breaking ii that would look as good as it tasted—you know, the kind of pipe that would rank long- side his favorite mashie, his best Airedale, his first editions ? Well... Ben Wade is that kind of pipe. It never fails to do its part in throwing a smoke screen be- tween you and yourcares, It’s sweet and mellow and ‘broken in’’ from the first day on. No tongue torture; no palate pun- ishment. Thank Ben Wade's special process for that. Notice the light colored finish inside the bowl, evidence of that proc- ess. The pores of the fine, full-seasoned brier are opened and kept open. There is no varnish to hide flaws, because you can’t hide flaws that don’t exist. You taste the full favor of the tobacco, unmixed with wood smoke or the fumes of burning varnish, All this is an old story to men who are smoking Ben Wade pipes. Instead of reading Ben Wade advertisements they could just about write them—that’s how enthusiastic they are. But if you haven’t yet smoked a Ben Wade—well, then precious minutes of the pleasantest smoking you ever dreamed about are slipping by. Not every tobacconist can show them to you—just the good ones. If you can’t be supplied write for our complete catalog. Charchill Downs Cigarettes + Hudson's Bay Tobacco + Ben Wade Pipes comicbooks.com