Life — February 6, 1919 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily a **full-page advertisement** for the Mimeograph machine by A.B. Dick Company, not a political cartoon. The ad uses an allegorical image of a winged male figure (appearing to represent Mercury, the Roman god of commerce and speed) to symbolize rapid business communication. The advertisement's central claim is that mimeographing saves time—"man's means of saving that most precious of all commodities." It emphasizes the machine's speed (nearly 100 duplications per minute) and efficiency in reproducing letters and forms for business distribution. The "time-thrift" concept appeals to modern business efficiency. This reflects early-20th-century industrial culture's emphasis on speed and productivity. The reference to booklet "W" and the Chicago/New York offices indicate this is contemporary corporate promotion rather than satire.