Life, 1918-10-17 · page 6 of 38
Life — October 17, 1918 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not a satirical cartoon. It promotes the Victrola phonograph, manufactured by Victor Talking Machine Co. in Camden, New Jersey. The ad features portraits of four famous opera singers—Caruso, Galli-Curci, McCormack, and Gluck—endorsing the device. The sales pitch claims that the Victrola faithfully reproduces great artists' performances, allowing homes to access "the world's best music." A photograph on the right shows the actual Victrola machine (Model XVII, priced $232.50). The famous "His Master's Voice" dog logo appears at bottom. The implicit message: owning this technology grants access to elite cultural experiences previously available only at concert halls, democratizing high art for middle-class households. This reflects early 20th-century optimism about technology enhancing domestic life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“4 Es uo Mc CORMACK : Every home can have the ‘worlds best music —on the Victrola |i s y for you to enjoy at will the greatest musical art of all the world—if you have the instrument which brings the mag- ifi ations of the greatest z into your home. ja enjoys that pr distinetion accorded it by the most famous artists in the world of music. They appreciate that the Victrola reproduces their art with a fidelity lels their actual performances on the opera and con ( only the Victrola satisfies their high artistic demands. That ke Victrola Ree = : Important Notice. Victor Records and Victor Machines are scientifically coordinated and synchronized in the Processes of manufacture, and their use, one with the other, is absolutely essential to a perfect reproduction. New Victor Records demonstrated at all dealers on the Ist of each month. “Victrola” is the Registered Trade- mark of the Victor Talking Machine Company designating the products of this Company only. nfo Nn Pn nMn Onin A rfra Metin Dehn nfo Victrola XVII, $275 Victrola XVII, electric, $332.50 Rice Supe Ponta etn Meta Oenfen Retin OePra comicbooks.com