Life — January 3, 1930 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a satirical cartoon titled "Salesmanship" depicting a grand, Art Deco-style lobby or showroom. The central spectacle features "The Sassy Six"—a beauty show being promoted—with scantily-clad women displayed on a platform as the main attraction. Massive crowds surround them, while automobiles are prominently positioned in the scene. The satire targets aggressive 1920s marketing tactics: retailers used any eye-catching gimmick—here, a beauty pageant—to draw crowds and sell unrelated products (cars). The sign reads "Buy your car from a bathing beauty," mocking how companies exploited novelty and sex appeal to move merchandise, regardless of actual product relevance. The cartoon critiques both the brazenness of such advertising and public eagerness to swarm around spectacle for consumption.