Life, 1925-07-23 · page 35 of 36
Life — July 23, 1925 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Ipswich De Luxe socks to men. The illustration shows two figures: a well-dressed businessman seated in a chair, and a shoe-shiner or valet attending to his shoes. The image demonstrates the product's value proposition: while men spend money on expensive clothes and professional pressing/shining services, quality socks are affordable maintenance (a "weekly nickel's worth of washing") that preserve a gentleman's appearance. The tagline "Handsome is as handsome wears" suggests that looking respectable depends on attention to detail—including often-overlooked hosiery. The ad emphasizes Ipswich socks' durability (fade-resistant, reinforced heels and toes) as practical value for the cost-conscious man. This reflects early-20th-century class consciousness and grooming standards for professional men.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Handsome is as handsome wears ASHINE costs you a dime and you pay half a dollar to have your clothes pressed, but your socks have got to keep their good looks on a weekly nickel’s worth of washing. They will, too, if they are Ipswich socks. We take a lot of trouble to select wash- proof dyes for men’s Ipswich ho- siery so that fancy patterns, solid colors or plain blacks will not fade. We knit them with special care to make these socks fit trimly on the taper of the ankle, and we reinforce them against the hole- boring activities of heels and toes. Most good stores sell Ipswich socks in the new styles, colors and patterns, IPSWICH 2-2 HOSIERY IPSWICH MILLS, Ipswich, Mass. LAWRENCE & Co., Sole Selling Agents comicbooks.com