Life, 1925-02-26 · page 34 of 36
Life — February 26, 1925 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece argues for **mass production over custom/artisanal manufacturing**. The cartoon shows a manufacturer attempting to "tailor-make" soup for an individual customer—a visual absurdity meant to mock exclusive, handcrafted goods. **The argument**: Andy Consumer refuses custom production because he believes **scale drives quality**. Only when a manufacturer serves 1,000,000 customers can they afford experts, machinery, and rigorous standards. A single bespoke order invites corner-cutting; mass production demands reliability or the company fails. **The satire targets**: Both the appeal of luxury "made-to-order" goods and manufacturers who pitch exclusivity. Andy's working-class voice ("I can't afford it") suggests this was likely written during early-20th-century debates over industrial standardization versus craftsmanship. **The footer** reveals the real pitch: national advertising creates mass markets, benefiting consumers through competitive quality and low prices. This is essentially propaganda for **modern consumer capitalism and mass marketing**.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
DON’T want any soup factory making one can of soup for me. And I don’t want my soap tailor made. I can’t afford it. ‘When it comes to soup and soap, I don’t want to be exclusive. I want to be one of 1,000,000 customers. So, if you are a manufacturer, don’t come around to me with a tape meas- ure and say that you would like to measure me for soup or soap. First go get 1,000,000 other guys like me, and then I’ll listen. My reason for being so inexclusive is this: I figure that if you get 1,000,000 other customers, your soup or soap is bound to be good. You can afford to take pains with I DON’T WANT ANY SOUP FACTORY MAKING ONE CAN OF SOUP FOR ME it. You can hire a lot of experts to experiment their heads off. You can put in the best soup or soap machinery in the world. Your soup will be SOME soup. Your soap will WASH DIRT. If I place my order with you person- ally for one can of soup or cake ot soap you might fuss around with it and it might be good, or it might NOT. And if I didn’t like it and kicked, you should worry! But with 1,000,000 other birds to please, you will please or perish. I should worry! The only way I know for you to get 1,000,000 other buyers is for you to advertise. 1 should worry! cH Cou men = THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER BETS HIS comicbooks.com