Life, 1920-06-17 · page 6 of 45
Life — June 17, 1920 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It promotes Victrola phonographs and Victor Records, manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey. The ad's argument appeals to music enthusiasts: Victrola machines allow listeners to hear "the greatest artists just as they wish to be heard"—without amateur reinterpretation. The adjustable doors let users control volume for different room conditions, but explicitly *not* to impose personal "interpretations" on master recordings. The page shows a Victrola XVII cabinet model ($350-$415) and the famous "His Master's Voice" logo (dog with phonograph). This reflects early 20th-century attitudes about recorded music authenticity and fidelity—the idea that machines could preserve and faithfully reproduce artists' original performances.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
With the Victrola and Victor Records | you hear the greatest artists just as they wish to be heard Your interpretation of a piece of music may be in itself a highly artistic achieve- ment, but not if superimposed on the inter- pretation of a master. It then would be neither one thing nor the other. The Victrola is equipped with doors so that the volume of tone may be regulated to suit varying conditions. ‘They are not intended to be used in imposing amateur ‘Snterpretations’’ upon those of the world’s greatest artists, for that would be to lose the very thing you seek—the finest known interpretations of music. A Victor Record of Caruso zs Caruso him- self—provided always that some less qualified peony 2 pebtenes with what the artist vet XVI 350 Mahogeny oF oak Victrolas $25 to $1500. Victor dealers everywhere. New Victor Records on sale at all dealers on the Ist of each month. VICTROLA AEG. U.S PAT OFF is a trademarked word which identi- fies products manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Co. %2ens2eserx VICTOR TALKING MACHINE CO. Camden, New Jersey Camden, N. comicbooks.com ros