Life, 1927-04-07 · page 37 of 59
Life — April 7, 1927 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **full-page advertisement** for the Sesamee combination lock, not political satire. The cartoon at top depicts a domestic scene meant to humorously illustrate the lock's selling point: a woman stands confidently while a man searches frantically through luggage, unable to open it without the combination. The caption jokes that forgetting keys won't happen anymore—the husband literally cannot access the locked trunk. **The actual satire is subtle**: the ad gently mocks traditional masculine anxiety about lost keys and travel mishaps, positioning the keyless lock as liberation from this modern inconvenience. The "keyless age" framing suggests technological progress replacing outdated methods. **Context for modern readers**: This reflects 1920s-30s optimism about mechanical innovation solving everyday problems. The advertisement emphasizes security through personal numeric codes rather than physical keys—a genuinely novel concept at the time, positioning Sesamee as forward-thinking technology adopted by major manufacturers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Voesaan? 1 like a man! O; apes 1 fi Y, SESAMEE THE MODERN LOCK THAT NEEDS NO KEY TRUNK LOCK IT ELIMINATES LOST OR FOR. GOTTEN KEYS WHEN TRAVEL ING AND ONE PERSONAL CoM. BINATION WILL OPEN EVERY PIECE OF LUGGAGE YOU OWN, DEMANDING SESAMEE LOCKS ASSURES YOU MODERN LUG. GAGE ANDLOCKAGE @ @ MAKES SITUATIONS LIKE THIS IMPOSSIBLE NEW “keyless” age is here - Sesamee has brought it + Just flick the dials to your own secret combination, Instantly the lock springs open as if by magic + And the wonderful part of it is, you select and set the combination yourself + merely by pressing a small button and turning the dials to numbers that stick by you, closer than keys - your street address - birthday - telephone number - invent your own + Your combination opens everything you have - equipped with Sesamee + Works as easily in the dark, Already these forward-looking manufacturers see the end of keys and keyholes - They have adopted Sesamee - John Boyle and Warren on hand luggage, Wheary and Winship on trunks, and Rand Kardex Bureau have made it standard on Kardex visible office files » Sesamee padlocks can be purchased at the better luggage, men’s furnishings, sporting goods, and department stores, Sesamee is being developed to replace key locks for all uses, doors, cars,etc. © « © PADLOCK YOU WILL FEEL HAPPIER WHEN YOU HAVE DISCARDED ‘THE KEYS TO YOUR COLP BAG, GARAGE, LOCKER, SPARE TIRE, CELLARETTE. ETC, SESAMEE PADLOCKS ARE MADEIN THRES CONVENIENT S12E3 GUARAN. TEED RUSTPROOP. PRICES $3-75TO$s.50, @ @ 0 @ THE SESAMEE COMPANY ¢* HARTFORD CONNECTICUT comicbooks.com