Life, 1928-09-14 · page 2 of 40
Life — September 14, 1928 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes Waterman's fountain pens, specifically the "Number Seven" model priced at $7.00. The ad highlights a practical consumer benefit: the pen's color-coded band on the cap identifies six different pen points (Red, Green, Purple, Pink, Blue, Yellow) suited to various writing styles—from "standard" to "flexible-fine" to "blunt." The key marketing message is convenience: customers can select a pen point matching their personal writing preferences without trial-and-error. The ad emphasizes this removes the friction from fountain pen selection, promising "perfect and permanent pen satisfaction." There is no political or satirical content here—it's straightforward product advertising from the early-to-mid 20th century.