Life, 1925-03-26 · page 29 of 37
Life — March 26, 1925 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not satire or political content. The page promotes the "New Wahl Eversharp" mechanical pencil to a 1920s audience. The key innovation highlighted is the "rifled tip"—a mechanism that grips the pencil lead at its point, preventing wobbling. The ad claims this allows the mechanical pencil to write as smoothly as traditional wooden pencils, addressing the main reason people historically preferred wood pencils despite mechanical alternatives existing "even to your grandfather." The marketing strategy positions Eversharp as a status symbol: "the choice of the people who buy the best—the companion of success." It emphasizes durability, precision engineering ("like a watch"), and availability across price points ($1 to $45). The decorative illustration shows the pencil's tapered design alongside the lead mechanism. This represents a genuinely significant innovation in writing instruments during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The pencil that grips the lead —at the tip HE mechanical pencil was = not new even to your % grandfather. rat All the stores of his day ROYP. had them for sale. Yet everyone used wood pencils —and continued to use them. Then came the change. Millions of people almost immedi- ately started using Eversharp. Why? Why was Eversharp at once ac- cepted by able and successful men and women everywhere? What did Breshetp have that mechanical pen- cils had lacked? The rifled tip. This tip grips the lead at the point. The lad can not wobble or turn. So Eversharp writes as smoothly as a wood pencil. And it is ever sharp. Durable. Looks well and is convenient. Now the new perfected Eversharp is adding a few million more to the present 20 million Eversharp users. This perfected Eversharp does not clog or jam. Reloads in a sec- ond. It is a jeweler’s product—made like a watch. It is the choice of the people who buy the beste—the companion of success. There is an Eversharp model to suit your work and satisfy your pride. Eversharps in working togs priced at $1 and less. Gold-filled or sterlin, models harmonizing with a good watch and correct personal articles, $3 to $6. Other models up to $45. Eversharp is matched by Wahl Pen. Like Eversharp, it is a world standard—a highest value personal purchase, an ideal gift. One of the thirty thousand Ever- sharp dealers is just down the street. ~ perfect m size, nd economical. 5 le cof wa, Atdiidesion. The New WAHL EVERSHARP Web! Bversharp and Wehl Pen PERFECTED Made in U.S. A. by THE WAHL CO, Chicago Canadian Factory, THE WAHL CO, Ltd, Toronto Prices same in Canada os U. S. comicbooks.com