sensation through word-of-mouth among teens. Visual Legacy: An illustration of Davis’s eyes was even printed inside Maybelline’s signature little red boxes, reinforcing the brand’s focus on eye enhancement. She headlined the “fetching face of the decade” for Maybelline in the 1917–1920s era, preceding vamps like Viola Dana (“Eyes That Charm”) and later stars like Gloria Swanson. This partnership exemplified Maybelline’s early strategy of tying cosmetics to cinema glamour, boosting sales during the flapper boom. Davis’s involvement ended with her 1923 retirement, but her ads left a lasting mark on the brand’s history.For more on this era, including vintage ads and family stories behind Maybelline, check The Maybelline Story by Sharrie Williams (@SWMaybelline on X), which draws from Tom Lyle’s archives.
This partnership exemplified Maybelline‘s early strategy of tying cosmetics to cinema glamour, boosting sales during the flapper boom. Davis’s involvement ended with her 1923 retirement, but her ads left a lasting mark on the brand’s history.
In the early 1920s, Maybelline, originally launched as Lash-Brow-Ine in 1915 by Tom Lyle Williams, capitalized on the silent film era’s glamour to market its mascara. Silent film star Mildred Davis, known for her roles alongside Harold Lloyd in films like Safety Last! (1923), became one of Maybelline’s earliest celebrity endorsers around 1922. Her wide, expressive eyes and wholesome charm made her an ideal fit for the brand’s campaign targeting young American women.Mildred Davis in Maybelline Ads
- Campaign Context: Maybelline’s early ads shifted from illustrated models to real film stars to leverage Hollywood’s influence. Davis, a Photoplay favorite, was contracted to promote Maybelline’s cake mascara, which promised to “darken and beautify eyelashes and brows instantly.” Her image aligned with the brand’s goal of making makeup acceptable for “respectable” young women, countering the stigma of bold cosmetics.
- Ad Details: Around 1922–1924, Davis appeared in print ads in movie magazines like Photoplay. These black-and-white ads featured illustrations of her face, emphasizing her large, luminous eyes. A typical slogan read, “Beautiful eyelashes and eyebrows make beautiful eyes; beautiful eyes make a beautiful face.” Some ads included her portrait inside Maybelline’s iconic red mascara boxes, reinforcing the product’s eye-enhancing appeal.
- Impact: Davis’s ads helped drive mail-order sales, with the product’s small black brush and cake mascara gaining popularity among teens. Her “girl-next-door” persona made Maybelline approachable, encouraging subtle makeup use during the flapper era’s beauty boom.
No specific ad images are available in my data, but The Maybelline Story by Sharrie Williams (
@SWMaybelline
) describes these campaigns, drawing from Tom Lyle’s archives. For visual references, check vintage Photoplay issues from 1922–1924 or Maybelline’s historical records at x.ai.
In the early 1920s, Maybelline, originally launched as Lash-Brow-Ine in 1915 by Tom Lyle Williams, capitalized on the silent film era’s glamour to market its mascara. Silent film star Mildred Davis, known for her roles alongside Harold Lloyd in films like Safety Last! (1923), became one of Maybelline’s earliest celebrity endorsers around 1922. Her wide, expressive eyes and wholesome charm made her an ideal fit for the brand’s campaign targeting young American women.Mildred Davis in Maybelline Ads
- Campaign Context: Maybelline’s early ads shifted from illustrated models to real film stars to leverage Hollywood’s influence. Davis, a Photoplay favorite, was contracted to promote Maybelline’s cake mascara, which promised to “darken and beautify eyelashes and brows instantly.” Her image aligned with the brand’s goal of making makeup acceptable for “respectable” young women, countering the stigma of bold cosmetics.
- Ad Details: Around 1922–1924, Davis appeared in print ads in movie magazines like Photoplay. These black-and-white ads featured illustrations of her face, emphasizing her large, luminous eyes. A typical slogan read, “Beautiful eyelashes and eyebrows make beautiful eyes; beautiful eyes make a beautiful face.” Some ads included her portrait inside Maybelline’s iconic red mascara boxes, reinforcing the product’s eye-enhancing appeal.
- Impact: Davis’s ads helped drive mail-order sales, with the product’s small black brush and cake mascara gaining popularity among teens. Her “girl-next-door” persona made Maybelline approachable, encouraging subtle makeup use during the flapper era’s beauty boom.
“Why Mildred Davis Stood Out: Davis’s appeal wasn’t just her expressive eyes but also her relatable persona. Unlike the sultry “vamp” archetypes like Theda Bara, Davis’s roles in Harold Lloyd’s comedies portrayed her as sweet and approachable, aligning with Maybelline’s mission to market mascara as a safe, everyday beauty product. Tom Lyle Williams, inspired by his sister Mabel’s homemade lash-darkening formula, saw Davis as the perfect face to bridge traditional femininity with the modern flapper aesthetic.
Ad Placement and Reach: Beyond Photoplay, Maybelline ads featuring Davis appeared in other fan magazines like Motion Picture Magazine and Screenland, which were devoured by young women eager for Hollywood trends. These ads were strategically placed alongside film reviews and star profiles, maximizing their cultural impact. Mail-order forms in the ads allowed readers to order the $0.75 mascara kit directly, a novel approach that fueled Maybelline’s early growth.
Creative Elements: The illustrations of Davis were often hand-drawn, as photography wasn’t yet standard in print ads. Artists exaggerated her lashes to showcase the mascara’s effect, sometimes pairing the visuals with testimonials or poetic taglines like “Eyes that charm, made more charming with Maybelline.” The red box packaging, featuring a small portrait of Davis, became a collector’s item among early makeup enthusiasts.
Cultural Impact: Davis’s endorsement helped normalize mascara use at a time when makeup was still controversial. By 1924, Maybelline’s sales had skyrocketed, with drugstores beginning to stock the product alongside mail-order channels, partly due to the star power of figures like Davis.
Broader Maybelline Strategy
Tom Lyle Williams was a marketing innovator, and Davis was one of several stars he tapped. After her retirement in 1923, Maybelline moved on to other actresses like Viola Dana and Ethel Clayton, but Davis’s early ads set the template for celebrity-driven campaigns. The brand’s focus on eyes—capitalizing on the silent film era’s emphasis on expressive facial features—helped it stand out in a crowded
Coming soon · Next from Sharrie Williams
Maybe She’s Born With It
The next chapter of the Maybelline family story. Get a text the day it’s out.
Where it began: The Maybelline Story — Amazon · Ebook · Signed copy