Life, 1927-11-03 · page 35 of 44
Life — November 3, 1927 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes an automatic lighter with a trigger mechanism. The humor relies on a **cultural reference to Sitting Bull**, the famous Native American leader. The ad opens with a joke: since matches and lighters didn't exist in Sitting Bull's era, he would have had to abandon his dignified reputation as a composed "rester" (a pun on his name) and sit near fires like everyone else. This reference serves as a **lighthearted hook** for the advertisement's actual point: modern bridge-game players (a popular social activity of the era) were creating messy, burnt matchsticks on tables. The Douglass lighter solves this problem with automatic ignition—just press the trigger. The ad emphasizes the lighter as a **status accessory** comparable to watches or compacts, available in luxury versions priced up to $1000, suggesting it appeals to affluent consumers seeking both functionality and style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life AUTOMATIC Y lights at the me a trigger T IS not recorded how Sitting Bull lit his pipe. But the absence of matches and uncertainty of light ers in his time would indicate that this champion old rester either had to break training or sit close to the fire. What brings up the subject is that bridge tables these nights some- times look = an pia camp— burned and smouldering match- § The present praiseworthy dislike for jaturally so, for with Do such sights has sent people hunting — straight line construction no a dependable lighter. And finding ir ed to make it, too, in the Douglass. model slender. It fits your v The Douglass is not only depend- ‘ able but entirely automatic. Press the trigger—there’s your light! One displays a Douglass, there fore, with an air of assurance, makes it an accessory as important as a watch (or a compact). Charming leathers, glowing metals encase Douglasses in many varied styles. Standard models are priced from $5 upward, while Sil- houette Douglasses range from $10 to $1000. You'll find one immensely pleasing to your pride and purse at some well placed jeweler’s or to get; bacconist’s. ANGSZ, Ait to 100 the’ mee windshield attachment Wp. for Douglass Lighters; it's a wonder The Douglass Lighter SPONSORED BY HARGRAFT, Wrigley Bldg., Chicag Canadian Distributor: A. W. W. Kyue Co. 3 St. Necuouas St., Mowreeat, Quesre comicbooks.com