Life, 1925-06-18 · page 35 of 43
Life — June 18, 1925 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Listerine antiseptic advertisement**, not political satire. The page depicts a domestic scene where a man demonstrates the product's deodorizing claims to a skeptical woman by rubbing onion on his hand, applying Listerine, and showing the odor disappears. The "joke" centers on proving an exaggerated advertising claim—the man had read a magazine ad claiming Listerine removes onion odor and wagered he could demonstrate it. The woman is skeptical but loses the bet, gaining "valuable information." The advertisement then pivots to Listerine's primary use: combating "halitosis" (bad breath) and as a perspiration deodorant. It emphasizes the product is "non-irritating," "refreshing," and requires only a moment to apply—appealing to busy people without time for bathing. This reflects early 20th-century marketing strategies that created social anxiety around personal hygiene to sell products.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“If you don’t believe it, Pll show you!” —what Listerine does to onion odor HEY had been reading a magazine adver- tisement about Listerine, the well-known antiseptic, and about its wonderful deodorizing power. It spoke of how Listerine removes onion odor and it challenged the reader to make this test: “Rub a bit of fresh onion on your hand. Douse ona little Listerine. The onion odor im- mediately disappears.” She was skeptical and bet that it couldn't be done. He had seen it demonstrated before and set out to prove it to her. The girl lost her bet. But she gained a valuable bit of information. LISTERINE Listerine ts a really remarkable deodorant. And Listerine advertising does not over-state the case. That is why so many thousands use it daily to combat halitosis (the medical term for unpleas- ant breath), And that 1s why so mary thousands of women are coming to use it as a perspiration deodorant. They just apply it clear. It is non- irritating, refreshing, does not stain garments and it does the work, Try it this way some day when you don’t have time for a tub or shower. It requires only a moment. You'll be delighted.—Lambert Phar- macal Company, Saint Louis, U. S. A. comicbooks.com