Life, 1918-07-04 · page 6 of 36
Life — July 4, 1918 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Mimeograph advertisement** rather than a cartoon or satire. It appeared in *Life* magazine during what the text indicates is "war-time" (likely World War I era, based on phrasing). The ad celebrates "Woman-power" by showing a woman operating a typewriter and Mimeograph machine. It claims she can produce 30,000-40,000 letters daily with neat, consistent results—work previously requiring "a force of men." The advertisement emphasizes efficiency gains: time and money savings, plus the ability to combine text with sketches "in one printing." The "satire" is mild: the ad's breathless tone about women's newfound workplace capability reflects genuine wartime labor shifts, though framed here as a business efficiency pitch rather than genuine social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Woman-power! Today she does the work of a force of men. Alone—with hertypewriterand the Mimeo- graph—she easily turns out thirty or forty thousand letters a day—and more—letters exactly like her neatest typewritin§—nobby letters. And if occa- sion demands she can quickly trace a sketch or diagram on the same sheet—all complete in one printing. Also she produces the office and factory forms—with a big, clean- cut savin’ of both time and money. Let us show you what re- markable war-time work woman-power and the Mimeograph are doing, for American business—may do for yours. Send for new booklet “W” today. A.B. Dick Company, Chicajo—and New York. Note this! The Mimeograph, and our supplies for it, are made to work together. Upset that relationship, the work suffers, valuable time and materials are lost, and our responsibility for quality and output ceases.