Life, 1919-08-21 · page 29 of 40
Life — August 21, 1919 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes electric motors manufactured by Robbins & Myers Company of Springfield, Ohio. The image shows a man operating an industrial motor-driven machine, illustrating the ad's central concept: electric motors as "an extra pair of hands" that perform repetitive tasks faster and more reliably than manual labor. The copy emphasizes the motors' versatility across bakeries, factories, stores, offices, and homes—appealing to early-20th-century anxieties and enthusiasm about mechanization and labor-saving technology. The ad stresses reliability (22 years of experience), efficiency, and low operating costs. This reflects the era's optimistic view of electrification and automation as solutions to industrial productivity. The "extra hands" metaphor was a common marketing trope for motorized machinery during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mixing cake, adding figures, punching holes, washing clothes, sawing wood, addressing mail, grinding coffee—these, and a hundred other daily tasks are being performed more quickly and bet- ter with the aid of Robbins & Myers Motors. A Robbins & Myers Motor is many an extra pair of hands—hands that never errand never tire. These ‘‘extra hands” are everywhere—in the bakery, in the busy factory, in the modern store, in the efficient office, in the home, and all places where efficient power saves time and money. Users of motors for general power purposes prefer Robbins & Myers Motors because of the 22-year motor experience which insures unfailing performance and lowest operating cost. obbins Motors In the realm of motors ranging from 1-40 to 50 horsepower, Robbins& Myers holda place distinct- ly unique. A motor bearing this well-known name is the last word in motor efficiency and economy. Builders of the better motor-driven labor-saving machines equip their product with Robbins & Myers Motors because an R&M Motor guaran- tees an operating quality in full keeping with the other leading features of the device. Electrical dealers as interested in customer-sat- isfaction as in sales, find both in fullest measure in the Robbins & Myers line. The Robbins & Myers Company, Springfield, O. For Tavenyy-tewo Years Makers of Quality Fans and Motors Branches in All Principal Cities Myers comicbooks.com