Life, 1920-05-13 · page 52 of 52
Life — May 13, 1920 — page 52: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not political satire or editorial cartoon. It's a Kodak camera advertisement from *Life* magazine (dated May 13, based on visible header). The image shows three people at a tennis court: two women holding rackets and a man in the center. The ad promotes Kodak's "Autographic" camera feature, which allowed users to write dates and titles directly onto film negatives instantly—a technical innovation for the era. The humor is gentle and lifestyle-oriented rather than satirical: the advertisement suggests Kodak cameras are perfect for casual outdoor activities like tennis, capturing not just "alluring picture stories" but also metadata (dates/titles). The slogan "If it isn't an Eastman, it isn't a Kodak" emphasizes brand ownership by Eastman Kodak Company. This reflects early 20th-century consumer advertising using attractive social scenes to market leisure photography.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
For the out-of-doors days KODAK And not merely the alluring picture story, but on every negative at least a date; and a title, too, if you like. Titling is the work of but an instant with an Autographic Kodak; is as simple as making the picture itself —and there is no extra charge for Autographic film. [fit ist an Eastman, it isn’t a Kodak. EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, Rochester, N. Y., Ze Kodak City Catalogue free at your dealer's or by mail, comicbooks.com