Life, 1924-12-04 · page 41 of 72
Life — December 4, 1924 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement** for Waffletex Roof roofing material, presented as a satirical gift suggestion for Christmas 1924. The ad humorously proposes giving a roof as an ideal Christmas present—framing practical home improvement as romantic gift-giving. The page includes accompanying **comic cartoons** mocking gift-giving absurdities: - A figure laden with safety razors expresses guilt about "giving away so many safety razors every year" - A rotund man jokes about whiskers being a "nuisance" - The same figure wonders if he can regrow them by next Christmas These comics satirize **excessive or impractical gift-giving customs**—safety razors and similar consumables that require repeated purchasing. The Waffletex ad exploits this critique by positioning roofing as the *sensible* alternative: a durable, lasting gift "which will last for years" rather than trivial items "forgotten in a day or so." The satire targets both consumer culture and masculine gift-giving anxieties of the 1920s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Give “Them” a Warr.rTex Roof URPRISE “them” Christmas morning with a new WAFFLETEX Roof ‘on the house—a gift delightful—a gift that will thrill every member of the family. Let a WAFFLETEX Roof “cover all your Christmas problems.” Instead of a dozen trivial gifts which will be forgotten in a day or so, give this gift of gifts which will last for years. Give a gift that will reflect your personality. A WAFFLETEX Roof will do this as no other gift will. A gift of rare beauty, yet one that is essentially practical—one that will insure your loved ones against rain and snow and sleet. As the storms of to-morrow beat in vain against its tough fibre (aged in the wood by a special process) the WAFFLETEX Roof will remind your family of Dad's thought- fulness and foresight on Christmas Day, 1924. ‘Thoughtful people give WAFFLETEX Roofs. Rolls come wrapped in special Christmas wrapper BRINGING IN THE YULE-Loc, 1924. “SEEMS HYPOCRITICAL FOR ME TO BE GIVING AWAY SO MANY SAFETY RAZORS EVERY YEAR” “WIHTISKERS ARE A ANYway” NUISANCE “coop Gracious! I WONDER IF 1 CAN GROW THEM ALL BACK BY NEXT CHRISTMAS.” comicbooks.com