Life, 1920-05-06 · page 56 of 56
Life — May 6, 1920 — page 56: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **advertising, not satire or political commentary**. It's a 1929 Life magazine advertisement for Columbia Grafonola phonographs (record players). The left image depicts an operatic or theatrical scene—likely representing one of the "exclusive Columbia Artists" listed below (names suggesting opera singers like Ponselle, Hackett, and others). This visual establishes the brand's association with high-culture music. The main pitch advertises a Japanese-designed grafonola cabinet as an exotic, artistic luxury item. The marketing emphasizes "Oriental handicraft" with detailed carving and gold accents—appealing to 1920s American consumers' fascination with "the Orient" as refined and timeless. The practical details (144-record capacity, electric operation) anchor the luxury positioning in modern functionality. Pricing ($300+) signals this as premium merchandise for affluent buyers. There is no satire here—this is straightforward luxury-goods marketing leveraging both high art and Orientalism as status symbols.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
May 6, 1929 Columbia Grafonola A Few Exclusive Columbia Artists Baklanoff Gordon Macbeth Romaine Barrientos Hackett Mardones Rothier Garden Lazaro Ponselle Stracciari Columbia Grafonolas: Standard Models up to $300; & COLUMBIA GRAPHOPHONE COMPANY New York Canadian Factory: Toronto IN PERIOD DESIGNS Just as we have searched the world for all of its most beautiful music to put upon Columbia Records, so we have traveled far to find the most beautiful de- signs for our Period Model Grafonolas, This Japanese model, with its deep, detailed carving and its exquisite color ing, is a wonderful example of Oriental handicraft. The flowers and birds in their natural colors, the jet black back ground and high lights in gold, all toned down as if by the passage of years, make this an artistic masterpiece. Beauty from the Orient This Japanese Period Design Grafonola is one of the 23 ¢x quisite Period Models of the Columbia Grafonola. All are operated by electric current, motor starting and stopping auto- matically. This model has accommodations for 144 records. comicbooks.com