Life — July 5, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes the mimeograph machine (marketed as "Mimeograph" by Edison-Dick Company) to early 20th-century office workers. The illustration shows a woman operating the device, duplicating a form letter. The ad's appeal is straightforward: businesses can save money and time by using mimeographs instead of handwritten or typeset copies. Key selling points include speed ("a hundred in two minutes"), cost savings ("waste no stationery"), and ease of use ("no type—buy no cuts"). The dermatype stencil technology mentioned represents a contemporary improvement. This is standard business advertising highlighting office efficiency—a major concern during the era's industrial expansion.