Life, 1920-03-04 · page 39 of 78
Life — March 4, 1920 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **product advertisement** for the Addressograph machine, a mechanical device for printing addresses on envelopes and documents. There is no political cartoon or satire. The ad uses a testimonial format: a letter dated November 11, 1919, from an unnamed "World Leader" (the identity is deliberately obscured) endorsing the machine's efficiency. The letter details five business applications—addressing payroll envelopes, direct mail, bank correspondence, magazine distribution, and field force communications—claiming the Addressograph saves time and prevents errors. The photograph shows two office workers demonstrating the machine's operation with stacks of addressed materials. The satirical element is subtle: calling an anonymous business executive a "World Leader" mockingly elevates routine office efficiency to grand importance. The ad targets early-20th-century businesses seeking to modernize administrative operations through mechanization—a genuine concern of that era before computerized systems.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Another World Leader Endorses Addressograph Savings Burroughs sell the world’s bulk of adding machines. Obviously, they are office appliance experts. Th ey know that in great institutions—in small businesses, too — the Addressograph handles names in the most rapid, eco- nomical and accurate way. Names ,of customers, prospects, employees, etc., are “‘typewritten’s 15 times faster than by hand. —_ Errors are * impossible. Prints through writer ribbon from durable metal plates easily made by your clerk. Entire list can be ad- d; or Removable Tabs on address plates designate “goods wanted,” rating, etc. Tabs work with ‘‘Selector” which picks out desired plates for ad- dressing—skips others. There is a Hand, Foot Lever or Eiectric Addressograph for any name- writing need. Burroucus AppinG Macuine Company Derrorr, MicniGan U.S.A. Movember 11, 1919. 4adzessograph Company, Ol West Van Puren Street, Chicago, Illinois. Gentlemen:-" It ig a pleasure to advise that our extensive Addressograph equipment has proven a time saver and is in constant use for; (1) Teprinting nases, dates and nucbere on employee's pay envelopes and time cards. (2) Addressing over 100,000 pieces each month of Direct Mail literature to prospects. (3) Addressing 50,000 envelopes which carry the Burroughs Clearing House to every bank in the United States and Canada. (4) Addressing 190,000 envelopes which carry our magazine BUSINESS to a selected list of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers (5) Addressing all miscellaneous material and messages to our Field Force. In th: connection the Automatic Selector enables us to address literature to any given group of persons or to several groups, at mill. The machine automatically picks out the desired plates and returns thom to thsir respective places without any effort from the operator. The Addressograph enables us to do this work accurately, economically and on schedule tice. Yours very truly, WHMeuk Addressouitas TRADE MARK 917M. W. Van Buren St. PRINTS FROM TYPE Chicago, Illinois comicbooks.com