Life — February 1, 1929 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily a **Sesamee luggage lock advertisement** placed in Life magazine, not political satire or cartoon content. The illustration depicts a customs or travel inspection scene at a port, showing officials examining luggage. The ad promotes "keyless" Sesamee locks—combination locks where "the key is eternally within the lock" via a secret number only the owner knows. The social context reflects early-20th-century travel anxieties: theft of luggage during international journeys. The advertisement positions the Sesamee lock as solving the problem of lost or stolen keys during travel, while maintaining security. Abercrombie & Fitch, presenting itself as "the greatest sporting goods store in the world," marketed this as a luxury travel solution for affluent customers. The "joke" is the liberation from carrying physical keys—a modern convenience claim for its era.