Starting in 1922, a cosmetic product of The Andrew Jergens Company was advertised with an innovative marketing strategy: the product was to be promoted as a lotion specifically for hands and Steichen was hired as the photographer for the advertising campaign. Together, with art director Gordon Aymar from the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, Steichen worked on Jergens advertising campaigns from 1923 to 1930, producing five to ten advertisements each year. In the early years the Jergens advertisements featured photographs of women’s working hands, performing housekeeping tasks like sewing. The concept was changed in 1925: Steichen’s realistic photographs were paired with atmospheric pictures of nicely manicured hands in pleasurable situations.