Life, 1929-01-04 · page 4 of 36
Life — January 4, 1929 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a full-page ad for Abercrombie & Fitch Co., a sporting goods retailer located on Madison Avenue and 45th Street in New York City. The ad promotes Sesamee brand keyless locks for luggage. The imagery—a traveling sportsman with multiple bags and a dog—illustrates the target customer: wealthy travelers who need reliable security for their belongings during journeys. The "joke" is conversational: "Ask the traveling sportsman" about luggage problems, implying experienced travelers endorse this product. The Sesamee lock's innovation—allowing users to set and change combination numbers without keys—is presented as solving the inconvenience of traditional keyed locks. This reflects early 20th-century concerns about travel security and represents a genuine product innovation marketed to affluent consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ask the traveling Ve sportsman = Cu He will tell you that one of the nuisances ve / Le and unlocking of bags and trunks .. . unless he has Sesamee locks on them all. The keyless lock is coming to us as surely as tomorrow morning and Sesamee is the only keyless lock that enables you to choose and use any number and change this number whenever you want. All the articles in the Abercrombie & Fitch luggage department, with keyed locks or Sesamees, are not only made of the finest materials by skilled workmen but many are especially designed for out- door men and women who travel. For an overnight journey or year-round world- over travel we can supply you with the- most suitable luggage. of traveling is fussing with the locking 2 - aa | PUL «4 vy Abercrombie & Fitch Co. THE GREATEST SPORTING GOODS STORE IN THE WORLD SESANIEE MADISON AVENUE AE & 45 STREET, Nc. THE KEYLESS LOCK We aes &: This keyless lock opens by simply turning the dials to a number you have chosen yourself. No one but at apy ono number up to 999, comicbooks.com