Life, 1920-11-11 · page 31 of 44
Life — November 11, 1920 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Kodak camera advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It appears in *Life* magazine (page 879) and promotes home photography to ordinary families. The ad features two black-and-white photographs of women in domestic settings—one reading by a bookshelf, another in close-up portrait style. The copy emphasizes that Kodak cameras are essential for capturing everyday family moments, particularly children, arguing these domestic pictures are more cherished than vacation photos. The advertisement highlights a specific product: the "Portrait Attachment," a 75-cent lens accessory enabling close-up photography. The ad stresses affordability and ease of use to appeal to middle-class consumers. This reflects early-to-mid 20th century marketing strategy: positioning photography as accessible to ordinary households rather than professionals, while framing home and family documentation as emotionally valuable. The intimate domestic scenes and sentimental language ("never tire") were typical advertising appeals of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE: At home with a KODAK After all, Kodak means most in the home— because home pictures mean the most. The vacation album, the pictures of the summer outing, the travel pictures, our pet hobby pictures—Great! All of them! But the pictures of the children— just as they are every day neoucco row onioimat nictuneaixstimenesmse about the home—these are the ones of which we never tire. The two pictures shown here were both made with the same Kodak. In the lower one the Portrait Attachment was used. ‘This attachment is simply an extra lens, costing but 75 cents, that slips on over the other lens and so alters the focus that sharp pictures can be made of a “‘close up”’. There are Portrait Attachments to fit Kodaks and Brownies of every size —and their use is very simple. All Dealers’. REDUCLO FROM ORIGINAL PICTURE, 2K XB} INCHES IN SIZE, Eastman Kodak Co. 5 Rochester, N. Y. MADE V\TH A 3A KODAK AND KODAK P' T ATTACHMENT. comicbooks.com