Life, 1929-06-21 · page 2 of 40
Life — June 21, 1929 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Sheaffer's pen advertisement**, not political satire. The page promotes "Balance in Lifetime" pens and pencils through an athletic metaphor. The central image shows a diver in mid-air performing a balanced handstand dive, wearing a competition number. This illustrates the advertisement's core claim: that Sheaffer pens achieve perfect weight distribution toward the writing point, allowing users to "write swiftly, in full character, with an effortless ease." The ornamental border and stylized fountain pens on either side were typical 1920s design elements. The bottom notes Sheaffer's lifetime guarantee and lists prices and retail locations across America and internationally. For modern readers: this represents how early 20th-century advertising used athletic achievement and physical balance as metaphors for product quality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lifetime pen by wacicrt PENS AND PENCILS ? 9 Practically all writing, improvements during the past fifteen years 4 f have been Sheaffer's, and Balance in Lifetime® pens and pencils is the latest. Scientific placement of weight toward the writing, point makes Sheaffer Lifetime® pens and pencils balance in your hand —lets you write swiftly, in full character, with an effortless ease that is new and truly wonderful. Yet, three carbon rec- ords may be made. See the Lifctime® Balance Test at your Sheaffer dealer's, and try these fine instruments. You will be won to Sheaffer's Lifetime® pens and pencils for life. Lifetime? pens are guaranteed unconditionally for your lile against everything except loss, Other Scheaffer products are forever guaranteed against detect. Green and black Lifetime? pens, $8.75; Ladies’, $7.50 and $8.25. Black and pearl De Luxe pens, $10; Ladies’, $8.50 and $9.50. Pencils, $5. Others lower. At better stores everywhere SHEAFFER’ PENS PENCILS-DESK SETS-SKRIP ‘W. A. SHEAFFER PEN COMPANY * Fort Madison,lowa, U.S.A. New York * * Chicago * * San Francisco W. A. Sheaffer Pen Co. of Caneda, Ltd., 169-173 Fleet St. ,Toronto,Ont. Wellington, N. Z. + Sydney, Australia + 199 Regent St., London Reg. U.S. Pat. LARGE} 4 8 LIFETIME comicbooks.com