Life — March 17, 1927 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily a **Listerine antiseptic mouthwash advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The ad promotes Listerine as an inexpensive astringent for facial skincare, marketed to women. The "INEXPENSIVE" section emphasizes the product's low cost while claiming effectiveness for "all types of skin," promising to tighten pores and stimulate facial muscles, making users "look—and feel—younger." The profile photograph of a woman's face is used as promotional imagery to demonstrate the product's purported cosmetic benefits. The tagline "—the safe antiseptic" suggests Listerine's versatility beyond mouthwash. This reflects **early 20th-century beauty marketing**, when antiseptics were broadly applied to skincare and companies targeted women's anxieties about aging through affordable solutions.