Life, 1916-10-05 · page 4 of 42
Life — October 5, 1916 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **business advertisement**, not political satire. The page shows an office scene where a businessman urgently requests rapid document duplication—"By five I must have a thousand copies of this letter ready to mail." The ad promotes the **mimeograph machine** (made by A.B. Dick Company), a duplicating technology that was revolutionary for early-20th-century offices. The pitch emphasizes speed and versatility: the mimeograph could reproduce letters, handwriting, drawings, diagrams, forms, and bulletins "without cuts"—meaning without the expense of engraving or printing. This reflects the pre-photocopier era when document reproduction was a significant business challenge. The advertisement targets office managers and factory operators with promises of efficiency and cost savings.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘6 ' Quick! By five I must have a thousand copies of this letter ready to mail.” That’s easy—with the mimeograph. From dictation to en- velope is a mere matter of minutes. Handwriting, too? Drawings? Diagrams? Illus- trated letters and bulletins? Office and factory forms? No difference—you duplicate all quickly— without cuts. Most accurate, least expensive—as well as quickest—is the mimeograph process. Exactly duplicates the original. Gives Opens many doors to sreater clean, sharp impressions. profits in any business office—factory—shop. Investigate the new dermatype waxless stencil method today. Interesting, booklet “W” will tell you about it and its business uses. Send to the A. B, Dick Company, Chicago —also New York MINES APH