Judge, 1916-08-05 · page 2 of 28
Judge — August 5, 1916 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily advertising, not satire or commentary**. It's a full-page advertisement for the Columbia Grafonola phonograph and Columbia Records. The ad features theatrical imagery—a stage scene with performers in spotlight—to pitch the device as "The Stage of the World." The marketing copy claims that owning a grafonola brings concert-hall quality entertainment into the home, offering "a vaster company of greater artists than the greatest stage in the world." The dramatic illustration and language reflect early 20th-century consumer marketing that positioned phonographs as luxury items bringing high culture to middle-class households. The price listed ($200) was substantial for the era. This is commercial content, not political or social satire typical of *Judge* magazine's editorial material.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“The Stage of the World” OU have the stage of the world in your home if you own a Columbia Grafonola and Columbia Records. A vaster company of greater artists than the greatest stage in the world possesses is at your direction every day, with a greater and infinitely . more varied repertoire than any one stage ever presented. Orchestral, operatic, instrumental music — sombre or joyous, classic or light; whatever you desire, whatever your mood, whichever great artist you want to hear—your wish is reality, as soon as expressed. It is reality, nothing less; for ‘The Stage of the World” presents the artists themselves to you—in voice and playing, in temperament, in art and personality. “Hearing is Believing’’—and you can hear today at the nearest Columbia dealer’s. New Columbia Records on sale on the 20th of every month.