Life, 1925-08-06 · page 35 of 36
Life — August 6, 1925 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. The page uses humor to market shaving cream by mocking outdated grooming customs. The joke centers on **Egbert Hinkley**, a fictional character shown with an extravagant handlebar mustache. The ad humorously illustrates how men once needed special equipment—a mustache cup with a dam and sluiceway, even a mustache spoon—to prevent their facial hair from interfering with eating and drinking. These items are dismissed as mere "hairlooms" (pun on "heirloom"). The satire targets **outdated Victorian masculine vanity**: the exaggerated mustache was once a status symbol requiring elaborate maintenance. Colgate's Rapid-Shave Cream promises to make daily shaving comfortable and practical, positioning the product as modern and sensible against old-fashioned affectation. The appeal is to contemporary masculinity: shaving daily is now a "social requirement," not a decorative indulgence. The advertisement mocks the past while selling practicality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Shave every day—be comfortable COLGATES for better shaving On it was considered necessary for the head of almost every family to have a special cup, which was provided appt andiptreen with a dam and a sluiceway. Thus he Hinkl i . oe . fae ieee , could get along without permitting his mustache to come into service as a strainer. In spite, however, of all artistic efforts to make the mustache cup a thing of beauty, it could not remain a joy for- This is Egbert Hinkley, trying to look as if it didn’t matter. ever. Like the mustache spoon, it has become a mere ‘‘hairloom.”’ Overhanging mustaches are no longer This is the utensil in being used for decorative purposes. With which Egbert Hinkley’s ; : sé . morning cup of coffee Colgate’s for lathering, it is possible was brewed. now to shave without shedding tears. snanaz COLGATE’S abled Egbert Hinkleyto avoid the use of a softens the beard at the base, where the razor’s work is done. It leaves the face soothed and velvety. Being a real cream, Colgate’s does not roll off the brush. It lathers quickly and needs no mussy rubbing in with the fingers. Daily shaving has become a business as well as a social requirement. COLGATE & CO. Dept. 23 581 Fifth Avenue = . Let us send you a trial tube of this wonder- New York SM, ful cream—enough for ue bear fares Pl d the trial tube of ) than you have ever had. Just fill out eate's Rapid-Shave Cream for bet- f t and mail the attached coupon, with 4c.* wing. Lenclose 4c. COLGATE & CO. Est. 1806 NEW YORK *In Canada, Address Colgate & Co., Limited, 72 St. Ambrose St., Montreal uth in advertising implies honesty in manufacture comicbooks.com