Life, 1925-07-16 · page 5 of 40
Life — July 16, 1925 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **Listerine advertisement** disguised as editorial content—a common early 20th-century advertising technique. The cartoon illustrates a salesman's defensive behavior: he's literally nailed his chair to the floor to prevent an "ever-present, eager type" of salesman from moving closer during conversations. The joke satirizes aggressive sales tactics of the era, particularly the practice of invading personal space during pitch meetings. The advertisement then pivots to the real message: such salesmen often suffer from **halitosis (bad breath)**, an embarrassing social problem Listerine promises to solve. The text emphasizes that afflicted individuals often don't realize their problem themselves. The satire mocks both pushy salesmanship and the social anxiety around bad breath, while selling Listerine as the solution—a product originally marketed as a general antiseptic but repositioned here as a breath remedy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LISTERINE Throat Tablets are now available. Please do not make the mistake of ex- Frente ‘Rely on ‘he liquid reath. Rely on the Jiquid, Listerine. Containing all of the antiseptic essential oils of Listerine, however, they are very valuable as a relief for throat irritations—25 cents. IS sei se of humor suggested it. defense to safeguard himself against that ever-present, eager type of salesman who pulls his chair up close, talks right into your face—and, too often, is an offender in the matter of halitosis (un- pleasant breath). But he really did it in self- You know the kind, it themselves. Too often, poor fellows, they don’t know And their friends don’t have the heart to tell them. That's the insidious at the office One of the most irritating offenders in the matter of halitosis (unpleasant breath) is the salesman who suffers this way and, usually, doesn't know it himself. thing about halitosis (unpleasant breath). But fortunately there is a way to over- come it—the regular, systematic use of Listerine, the safe, liquid antiseptic and deoderant, used as a mouth wash and gargle. Always have it handy in your home. Many men today also have a bottle This way they are al- to be on the safe—and They know their breath ways sure polite—side. is right. Your druggist sells Listerine only in the original brown package. There are four sizes: 14 ounce, 7 ounce, 3 ounce and 114 ounce.—Lambert Phar- macal Company, Saint Louis, U. S. A. comicbooks.com