Life — December 6, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily **an advertisement for Waltham watches**, not satire or political commentary. The image depicts an Asian man (likely Korean, given the headline "Korea Goes to Waltham for Time") in traditional dress, presenting a watch as a symbol of modernization. The narrative claims Korea sought the world's most accurate railroad watches and discovered Waltham's superior quality. The advertisement uses **orientalist imagery**—the exotic figure in traditional clothing represents a "civilized" nation adopting Western technology. The subtext appeals to American readers' sense of technological superiority and commercial dominance. The "Colonial A" watch is highlighted as proof of Waltham's engineering excellence. The bottom line—"There is Nothing in the World So Watchful Over Time as the Waltham Watch"—is a straightforward commercial slogan, not satire.