Life — November 22, 1917 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily **advertising, not satire or political content**. The page promotes Victor Talking Machines (phonographs) and Victor Records. The three portraits at top are famous opera singers—Caruso, Gluck, and McCormack—who recorded for Victor, lending prestige to the brand. The ad's argument is straightforward: just as people desire attending concerts by the world's greatest artists, they should want Victor phonographs to hear those same artists at home. The "Supremacy" section emphasizes Victor's technical superiority and warns consumers to look for the "His Master's Voice" trademark on genuine products. The lower half shows a Victrola XVII model with pricing ($265 acoustic; $325 electric). This represents early 20th-century marketing using celebrity endorsement and product differentiation.