Life — June 17, 1920 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis 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.