Life, 1919-03-27 · page 44 of 44
Life — March 27, 1919 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Victrola phonograph advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The page shows a domestic scene of an elegant family gathering around a fireplace, presumably listening to recorded music. The ad uses celebrity endorsement as its primary appeal, naming famous opera singers of the era (Caruso, Galli-Curci, John McCormack, Alma Gluck) who allegedly chose the Victrola as their preferred playback device. The copy frames owning a Victrola as an "inevitable choice" for homes with refined musical taste. The humor—subtle by modern standards—lies in the exaggeration: the ad suggests that sophisticated music lovers will *invariably* own this product, positioning it as both a status symbol and a moral imperative for cultured households. The pricing range ($12–$950) indicates models for different economic classes, though the advertising targets the aspirational middle and upper classes. The famous "His Master's Voice" Victor Talking Machine Company logo appears in the lower right corner.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Their inevitable choice—the VICTROLA In those homes where good music has its most devoted hearers, you will invariably find the Victrola. Why? Because the highly developed taste in art is satisfied with noth- ing less than the best which the wide world has to offer. Logically and inevitably such a taste demands the instrument which Caruso has selected as his mouthpiece; which Farrar has selected; which John McCormack and Galli-Curci and Alma Gluck—and a host of other leaders—have selected to be their “other self,” to represent them, to carry their golden message throughout the world. = That instrument is the Victrola—the inevitable choice for your home. There are Victors and Victrolas in great Variety from $12 to $950. Any Victor dealer will gladly demonstrate the Victrola and play any music for you. Victor Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J., U.S. A. COMMEDOOKS.COMM