Life, 1925-05-14 · page 29 of 40
Life — May 14, 1925 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cosmetics advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It promotes Coty face powders and talcum products—luxury beauty items marketed to women. The ad emphasizes that powder selection is crucial to beauty, and Coty offers nine individual shades to suit different skin tones and complexion types. The elegant bottle and decorative powder container shown are the actual products. The "Personal Service Bureau" references Coty's customer service at their Fifth Avenue location in New York, offering guidance on shade selection—positioning powder choice as a personalized, sophisticated decision requiring expert consultation. This reflects early 20th-century beauty marketing: cosmetics were becoming mainstream and respectable for middle/upper-class women, with manufacturers positioning themselves as authorities on "correct" beauty standards and individual distinction through product choice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
enchanting fregne ahacd LES POUDRES e«cCOl]Y G the bright &cicon of beauty, Ue im~ portant word is pouter-and even more infportent, the correct shade of pouder. COTY Face Powders — tir lecture 20 softly smooth and clinging, their fragrance 50 irresistible —are created in nine in- dividual shades bo give a more sublle dis- findton to the cbazm of each type. — COTY TALCUM IMPARTS TO THE BODY A DELICATE FLOWERLIKE FRESHNESS AND SMOOTHNESS. IT IS OBTAINABLE, Address "Dept. L 5 IN ALL COTY PERFUME ODEURS. “PERSONAL SERVICE BUREAU’ For guidance in choosing the correct. Face Powder shade and expressive perfume odeur to intensify indwtduality COT VM me 714 Fifth Avenue , Tew York MMMM Mn comicbooks.com