Life, 1920-01-01 · page 48 of 48
Life — January 1, 1920 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a 1920 advertisement, not satire or political commentary. It promotes Victor's Record Catalog—a 530-page reference book available free at Victor dealers or by mail. The image shows a woman browsing the catalog while a man operates a Victrola (Victor's phonograph brand) in the background. The ad emphasizes the catalog's comprehensiveness: it contains artist biographies, a "Red Seal" section featuring world-class performers, composer information, opera plots with scene illustrations, and pronunciation guides. The pitch appeals to both Victrola owners and non-owners, suggesting the catalog itself—regardless of whether someone owned the equipment—was worth reading for music education and enjoyment. This reflects the era when record catalogs functioned as cultural guides, helping consumers navigate classical music, opera, and popular recordings.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Youll find your kind of music in the Victor Record Catalog So fascinating is this book that we doubt if you could glance into its 530 pages without becoming ab- sorbed in it. Whether you own a Victrola or not, this is the. kind of book you will find yourself browsing through just for the pleasure it gives you. And if you are a music-lover, this Victor Record Catalog will in- crease your knowledge and appreciation of good music many fold. It contains portraits of Victor artists with biographical sketches and has a complete Red Seal section devoted to the greatest artists of all the world who make Victrola Records. Thereare also portraits and short biographies of the great composers, and a pronunciation table of the names of artists, composers and operas In addition to this, the Victor Record Catalog gives brief stories of the opera, shows illustrations of various scenes, in- dicates under the title of each opera the different acts and scenes, and lists all the selections in the exact order they are sung or played in the opera. Free at any Victor dealer’s Be sure to get a copy of this interesting book—the greatest catalog of music in all the world. There is a copy for you at any Victor dealer’s, or we will mail you a copy upon request. Victor Talking Machine Co., Camden, N. J. comicbooks.com