Life, 1916-12-07 · page 94 of 94
Life — December 7, 1916 — page 94: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon or satire—it's a Christmas advertisement for Kodak cameras from December 1916. The image shows a woman in dark clothing examining or holding a Kodak camera indoors, likely in a home setting with wrapped gifts visible. The ad's pitch is straightforward marketing: Kodak cameras make ideal Christmas gifts because they capture and preserve holiday memories. The message emphasizes accessibility ("Photography is really very simple and inexpensive") and affordability (cameras starting at $1.25), positioning photography as an increasingly consumer-friendly hobby during this era when camera technology was becoming domesticated for average households. There is no political satire or hidden meaning—this is simply period advertising reflecting early 20th-century consumer culture and the popularization of personal photography.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-CHRISTMAS LIFE- December 7, 1916 A happy Christmas thought— KODAK The gift that adds to the good times at the moment; that indoors and out gives zest to the merry making and then—preserves the happy picture story of all that goes to make the day a merry one. The Kodak catalogue, free at your dealer's, or by mail, tells in detail about the various Kodak and Brownie cameras—from $1.25 upward. Photography is really very simple and inexpensive. Kodak has made it so. EASTMAN KODAK CoO., Rocuestrer, N. Y., Uhe Kodak City.