Life, 1927-05-19 · page 30 of 42
Life — May 19, 1927 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Ben Wade English smoking pipes during what appears to be the early 20th century. The ad uses a marketing strategy common to the era: an "introductory offer" cutting prices in half to build word-of-mouth advertising among American consumers unfamiliar with the British brand. The text explicitly states this goal—10,000 satisfied customers will tell 100,000 others. The small illustration shows a man smoking contentedly, emphasizing the pipe's quality and appeal. Key selling points highlighted: the pipes require no "breaking in," contain no varnish or stain, feature fine briar construction, and improve with age like treasured possessions (compared to a golf club or fishing rod—markers of leisure-class status). The ad addresses tobacco quality too, claiming Ben Wade pipes unlock tobacco's "full-flavor" better than competitors. This is straightforward commercial advertising, not editorial content or satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life Half price on finest Ben Wade English Pipes + REGULAR $850 Ben Ben Wade Pipes, $500 | “425” REGULAR $1090 Ben Wade Pipes. ry pe Ie In England most everyone knows Ben Wades. But England is 4000 miles away .... and frankly, not enough men in America know them—or know what pleasure there is in smoking pipes of their quality. We sincerely believe that if 10,000 men once enjoyed Ben Wade’s mel- lowness and sweetness they’d “tell the world” —tell 10 times 10,000 other men how good they are. In other words “word-of-mouth ad- vertising”—you know the value of that. To accomplish that we are willing for a lim- ited time to match each man’s money dollar for dollar and cut the price in half on Ben Wade pipes. Perfect Ben Wades unconditionally guaranteed. Selected-Grain, Natural-Finish $10 pipes at $5, and Walnut-Finish $8.50 pipes at $4.25. Introductory Offer Ben Wades are unlike any other pipe. No “breaking in” to torture your tongue because there is no stain or varnish inside a Ben Wade bowl for you to smoke out. Fine, hard briar polished and pumiced to perfection. The pores are not sealed up. The pipe bowl can absorb all impurities. The grain is exquisite. The color deepens and mellows. The finish glows like satin. Such a pipe becomes a personal treasure—like a favorite mashie or a long-loved fishing rod. Pack a Ben Wade full up with your pet tobacco. Find out how good that tobacco can be when you get its fu/l-flaver when you smoke a// tobacco and no pipe—true only with Ben Wades. If your dealer cannot supply you, tear out the order blank to the right,check the finish and shape you like best, and mail it to Hargraft & Sons, Wrigley Building, Chicago, Il. comicbooks.com