Judge, 1916-02-12 · page 28 of 28
Judge — February 12, 1916 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Victrola phonograph advertisement**, not political satire. It uses Jenny Lind, the famous 19th-century Swedish opera singer, to promote recorded music technology. **The argument:** Lind's "wondrously sweet" voice is lost to history because she lived before recording technology. The ad contrasts her fate with contemporary singers (Tamagno, Plancon, Gerville-Reache, Gilibert) whose voices the Victrola preserves "to posterity." **The sales pitch:** Future generations can hear these artists indefinitely via Victrola recordings, even after "the artists themselves will be forever silent." This was genuinely novel—the phonograph made immortality of performance possible. The historical image of Lind singing at Castle Garden (1851) underscores what was lost before recording existed, making the technology's value seem obvious to Judge readers of this era. This reflects the early excitement around recorded sound's cultural preservation capabilities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“heey dro tine seul sven of mumte wore edramnd toy derncy Lae w he Hed iced Toprol Sc cmoeg te ec esees Sees nea Jenny Lind singing at Castle Garden in 1851 All that remains of Jenny Lind is her picture, her autograph, and memories dear to all who ever heard her sing. Her greatest charm—her wondrously sweet and melodious voice—is gone forever. How different had she lived in the present day! The Victrola would have preserved her beautiful Voice to posterity, just as it has Tamagno’s, Plancon’s, Gerville-Reache’s, Gilibert’s; just as it does the other great singers of the world. You can hear them today on the Victrola whenever you wish; and generation after generation will keep on hearing them though the artists themselves will be forever silent. Any Victor dealer in any city in the world will gladly play any music you wish to hear and demonstrate the various styles of the Victor and Victrola—$10 to $400. soe Victor Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J., U.S. A. Berliner Gramophone Co., Montreal, Canadian Distributors Always use Victor Machines with Victor Records and Victor Needles— the combination. ‘There is no other way to get the unéqualed Victor tone. Victrola Wy 2 2 2 a J s s s i * o> TWE SCHWEINLER PRESS comicbooks.com