Life — November 17, 1927 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not satirical content. It promotes Waterman's Number Seven fountain pen, priced at $7.00. The ad's main feature is a color-coding system for pen points (red, green, purple, pink, blue, yellow), allowing customers to select based on writing style and purpose. Each color corresponds to specific characteristics—for example, red is "standard" for general use, while blue is a "blunt" point for rapid writers. The ad emphasizes reliability and longevity, guaranteeing "100 years of pen service" since 1883. The accompanying pen illustration shows the product's design with its distinctive rippled rubber holder. There is no political satire here—it's straightforward commercial marketing typical of early 20th-century *Life* magazine advertising.