Life, 1929-01-04 · page 27 of 36
Life — January 4, 1929 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical advertisement disguised as public service messaging. The cartoon depicts a menacing goblin-like figure promoting dangerous diet advice ("The goblins'll get you / if you don't eat bread..."), while a man reads "Trick Diets by a Food Faker" to a concerned mother and child. The "fairy tale" framing mocks pseudo-scientific diet trends and charlatan nutritionists popular in the early 20th century. The goblin represents the threat of misinformation—the real danger being not the monster, but following unqualified "faddists or fakers" instead of licensed professionals. This is actually an advertisement by Washburn Crosby Company (Gold Medal Flour), using fear-based marketing to promote bread consumption and their educational booklet. The irony: while claiming to combat food misinformation, they're promoting their own product through the cartoon.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life MODERN FAIRY TALE This cartoon is published in an effort to awaken the public to the danger of following the literature and advice of food faddists or fakers when they should depend on a licensed doctor or dietitian for correct diet information. @ To anyone interested, we shall be glad to mail, without charge, a copy of “Facts About Bread and its Rightful Place in the Diet”—a booklet containing statements by the country’s most eminent nutritional authorities. © Address Dept. 324, Washburn Crosby Company, millers of Gold Medal Flour, Minneapolis, Minnesota. COPYR, U2, CENTRAL WRLS, INC, comicbooks.com