Life, 1917-11-08 · page 6 of 40
Life — November 8, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Mimeograph Company Advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The ad promotes the mimeograph machine—an early duplicating technology—to businesspeople. The woman pictured operates a typewriter connected to a mimeograph, which reproduces typed documents mechanically. The headline "Her bit!" uses patriotic World War I-era language, framing office efficiency as a contribution to the war effort. The ad emphasizes how this equipment multiplies productivity "a thousand fold," reduces printing costs, and frees workers for other duties. The text appeals directly to businesses needing to duplicate forms, letters, and bulletins—practical office needs of the 1910s-1920s. A.B. Dick Company manufactured these machines and placed this ad in *Life* magazine to reach potential commercial customers. There is no political cartoon here—this is purely commercial advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Her bit! With a typewriter and a mimeograph she multiplies her power to do—a thousand fold. With this simple equipment she reduces printing, costs down to a minimum—does in one hour what other methods take many hours or days to do—produces a finished product that is a joy to look at—and liberates other workers for other duties. Lower cost—quicker results—better work—and much labor saved! For the duplicating, of letters, office and factory forms, bulletins, etc., you need the mimeograph now as never before. Let us show how simply it will reproduce drawings, charts, designs, etc. And how it will help materially to reduce your printin?, bills. You don't know the mimeograph unless you know the new mimeograph. Get information from your local dealer or interestin?, booklet “W" from A. B. Dick Company, Chicajo—and New York. comichookieem