Life, 1920-08-05 · page 31 of 48
Life — August 5, 1920 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **product advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It promotes the Addressograph, a mechanical mail-addressing device made by Remington Typewriter Company. The ad uses ironic humor: Remington, famous for typewriters, paradoxically endorses a *different* machine—the Addressograph—for repetitive addressing tasks. The accompanying letter from Remington's own executives (dated April 9, 1923) serves as testimonial, claiming the Addressograph handles 140,000+ names more efficiently than manual typing. The visual shows a woman operating the device, surrounded by stacks of addressed envelopes. The joke is the logical contradiction: Remington admits their typewriters are *worse* for this job than a specialized competitor's product. This self-deprecating approach was meant to build credibility by seeming honest about tool-specific efficiency—suggesting Remington values the right tool over brand loyalty. The ad emphasizes speed ("15 TIMES FASTER") and the drudgery of repetitive addressing work, a genuine office problem in the pre-digital era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
rostuaste® Finishes a Day’s Work Every Hour for Remington! OUNTAINS of correspondence melt away before the speedy “self-starting” Remington. Yet in the Executive offices of this world-famed typewriter company you will find another “writing machine’—the Ad- Addrese! 9 Gentlemen: dressograph. “Strange,” you say, “that Remington should choose another machine for work their typewriters could do.” over 140, The Addresvograph hao rendere: service in connection with the mailing of cur house pub- lication, Remington a Remington Rismctos Benome 374 Brosoway New Yorn hh Company, fan Buren Street, m. cago, uo an invaluable mailing 11 000 names and hs real problem until the Add But Remington officials know that writing the SAME names, addresses, dates, symbols, etc., over and over with pens OR TYPEWRITERS is as illogical and unprofitable as handling correspondence with old-fashioned quills. Speed that is 15 TIMES FASTER — work just like best typewniting —never failing accuracy—these are the Addressograph advantages that please Remington and thousands of others. Hand, foot lever or Electric Addressographs for every list. Have $70.00 “typewriter-size” machine demonstrated at your desk. No obligation! Write us! AlddressoG TRADE MARK 917 W. Van Buren St. Chicago PRINTS FROM TYPE impreesions an we can now addr, formerly addressed in a ving ograph indispensable to us, Very truly you 743 Broadway New York comicbooks.com