Life — December 3, 1925 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is **not a political cartoon or satirical content**—it's a straightforward advertisement for Sheaffer fountain pen desk sets, occupying a full page in *Life* magazine. The ad promotes a luxury gift item: a desk set holding two Sheaffer Lifetime fountain pens with an ornate glass base and Radite (a material) sockets. The decorative baroque border frames the product photograph. The text targets "busy men, and women," emphasizing the pens' durability ("lifetime" warranty) and convenience (two pens always ready, in black and red ink). Pricing ranged from $10 to $30. The company was W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company, located in Fort Madison, Iowa. This represents typical early 20th-century lifestyle advertising aimed at professional, affluent consumers.