Life, 1918-04-18 · page 40 of 40
Life — April 18, 1918 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Columbia Grafonola advertisement**, not political satire. The "cartoon" consists of an illustration showing a dealer demonstrating a gramophone (early record player) to customers in a store setting. The tagline "You forget you are in a store" is the advertising hook—the point being that Columbia dealers create such a welcoming, home-like atmosphere that customers feel comfortable and at ease while shopping. The ad emphasizes the dealer's attentiveness: he knows customers came to hear music and will let them select and play multiple records before purchasing. This reflects early 20th-century retail strategy: positioning the phonograph seller as a knowledgeable, hospitable guide rather than a hard-selling merchant. The pricing ($18–$250) indicates these were substantial consumer purchases requiring customer confidence. There is no political content or satire on this page—it is straightforward commercial advertising for the Columbia Graphophone Company of New York.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i] You forget you are in a store HE Columbia deale of demonstrating a Grafonola is first to make you feel at home. When you go into a Columbia store, the dealer know ctly what you want. He knows that you catne to hear music and he is glad you came. You can select as many records as you wish to hear, and he will play them for you or let you play them. The better you know and the more you compare the Columbia Grafonola with other phonographs, the more the Columbia Grafonola will attract you. Ina test, the Grafonola always appears at its best. Columbia Grafenslas are priced at $18 to $250 Period designs up to Cotumpia Grarnornoxe Comp,