Life, 1920-11-11 · page 43 of 44
Life — November 11, 1920 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a political cartoon but rather a **full-page advertisement** for the Estey Residence Pipe Organ, published in *Life* magazine. The image shows a woman seated at a residential pipe organ in an elegant interior, positioned within a circular vignette frame. The ad uses emotional, rhetorical language ("Do you ever hear the music of a pipe organ without a thrill?") to appeal to affluent homeowners' desires for culture and refinement. The key sales pitch is that pipe organs—traditionally associated with concert halls and churches—are now "available and practicable for any house" at a cost comparable to "a good motor car." This positions the organ as an aspirational luxury good for the middle-to-upper class. The Estey Organ Company, based in Brattleboro, Vermont, lists multiple studios across major American cities and London, suggesting national and international reach. This reflects early 20th-century consumer culture: the democratization of "high culture" through mass production and marketing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
= | | q THE ESTEY RESIDENCE PIPE ORGAN D° YOU ever hear the music of a pipe organ without a thrill? Doesn't it send over you a little quiver of delight 2? Doesn't your breath come a little faster as instrument after instrument adds its characteristic voice— harp, violin, trumpet, flute —and joins the harmony created by some master of orchestra music ? A pipe organ is available and practicable for any house, All the problems of making this great music a living thing in your home have been solved in the Estey Organ. You can have an organ perfectly adapted to the size and arrangement of your house for about what you would pay for a good motor car. Tue Estey ORGAN Company, Brattleboro, Vermont; Studios in New York, 11 Wi th St.; Philadelphia, 1701 W: St.; Chicago, Lyon & Healy; Boston, 120 Boyl: St.; Los Angeles, 633 South Hull ndon, 12 Rathbs Place, Oxford Se. comicbooks.com