Life, 1914-05-07 · page 10 of 52
Life — May 7, 1914 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Columbia Grafonola advertisement**, not political satire. The ad promotes Columbia's gramophone (record player) and dance records, marketing them as affordable entertainment. The illustration shows a man operating a gramophone while elegantly dressed couples dance on a grand staircase—depicting how the device brings "all the music of all the world" into homes for entertainment "at so little cost." The advertisement emphasizes accessibility: models range from $17.50 to $500, with flexible payment terms. It highlights newly issued "Dance Records" supervised by G. Hepburn Wilson, a dance master, and endorses Vernon Castle, a famous dancer of the era. This reflects early 20th-century consumer culture, when gramophones were still luxury items becoming increasingly available to middle-class households.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘Here comes our All the music of all the world when you want it, as long as you want it. There is no one thing that gives as much real pleasure, to so many people at so little cost, asa Columbia Grafonola. Just go, write or ‘phone to your nearest Columbia dealer and ask him to send you any model Graf- onola that you may select (the Ene a is $17.50 to $500) to- geth er with your personally selected list of es He will gladly make terms of payment to suit your convenience. New Dance Records just issued—as usual Sag under the supervision of G. Hepburn Wilson, M master of the modern dance. Vernon Castle ‘ameclt dances to Columbia Records in Castle House. He says they’re the best he has heard. Send us 25c in stamps or coin and we will send you one special sample Columbia record which will play on your machine no matter what make it is—until you have heard Columbia Records you have not yet realized the full possibilities of the best music. Important Notice All Columbia Records can be used on your disc talking machines (ifany standard make) COLUMBIA GRAPHOPHONE CO. [# seuss BOX E270 WOOLWORTH BUILDING, NEW YORK CITY Pe Ee trme lhe _ Toronto: 365-367 Sorauren Avenue $75" si750 ws Write for cokes Dealers wanted where we are not actively represented. Write today for full particulars