Life — December 12, 1918 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Advertisement for Mimeograph Machine This is primarily a **product advertisement** for the Mimeograph duplicating machine, made by A.B. Dick Company. The ad uses historical comparison as its selling point. The text contrasts ancient Egyptian efficiency with modern technology: Ramses II's scribes took four months to hand-copy a business letter on papyrus, while the Mimeograph produces "five thousand letters an hour." The illustrated figure appears to represent an ancient Egyptian scribe. The advertisement's satire is implicit—it mocks the slowness of pre-industrial communication by exaggerating the time ancient methods required. The "progress" theme celebrates how the Mimeograph represents modern advancement, positioning the machine as essential to contemporary business efficiency. This reflects early 20th-century optimism about technology's transformative power in commerce.