Life, 1926-11-04 · page 38 of 40
Life — November 4, 1926 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Gillette Safety Razor advertisement**, not satirical content. It appears in *Life* magazine's advertising section (page 36). The ad uses **appeals to authority and status**: it claims "9 out of 10 corporation executives" use Gillette razors, positioning the product as endorsed by intelligent, discriminating men of power. The illustration shows well-dressed businessmen in an office setting, reinforcing association with success and respectability. The advertising strategy exploits early 20th-century class consciousness—suggesting that wealthy executives' "fine sense of discrimination" extends to their grooming choices, and that ordinary men should emulate their preferences. The copy emphasizes the razor's technical superiority ("perfection of its shaving service") while the price range ($5-$75) targets affluent consumers. This represents typical **vintage advertising rhetoric**: testimonial-based persuasion combined with aspirational messaging.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“I use a Gillette,” say 9 out of 10 Corporation Executives THESE are men of intelligence, of keen analytical powers. They think things out. And in their personal tastes, they use the same fine sense of discrimination ...So it is an en- dorsement of no mean weight when sO many—so great a percentage—will- ingly acknowledge that they look to a Gillette for the cool comfort of a per- fect shave. This is simply another proof that, based on the perfection of its shaving service, Gillette pre-eminence is an indisputable fact! Whether you have a beard “like wire” or as soft as silk, your GOOD shave will become a PERFECT shave if you read “Three Reasons” —a new shaving booklet just published in a new edition. A postcard request and we'll sladly send you a copy with our compliments. GILLETTE SAFETY RAZOR CO. BOSTON, U. S.A. $5 © $75 THE TUCKAWAY In Gold Plate, $6. In Silver Plate, $5. ©The New Improved me Gillette SAFETY—<@i RAZOR THE QUALITY RAZOR OF THE WORLD USN TORIITAL PRINTING CORPORATION, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK LJ comicbooks.com