Life — November 8, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis 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.