Life — December 12, 1930 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily **advertising**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes Whiting & Davis mesh costume bags for Christmas gift-giving. The ad's central image shows a man viewing a store window display—a visual metaphor for the advertising campaign itself. The accompanying text addresses gift-givers struggling with what to buy for men during the Christmas shopping rush, describing the male recipient as "a mere solitary male, struggling in the rush and crush of Christmas shoppers." The "Save-a-Man" campaign uses this sympathetic framing to market mesh costume bags as the solution. A coupon system allows gift-givers to send an anonymous suggestion to the recipient, who then redeems it for the advertised product. The actual merchandise shown is a Dresden-soldered mesh bag with silk lining—a luxury accessory marketed as practical holiday gift-giving.