Life, 1921-09-15 · page 4 of 34
Life — September 15, 1921 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising, not satire or editorial content**. The image shows an oak branch with acorns in an oval frame. The accompanying text is a commercial advertisement for the Mimeograph, a duplicating machine made by A.B. Dick Company (Chicago and New York). The ad uses the metaphor "By its fruits you must know it"—comparing the Mimeograph's output (copies) to acorns as the oak tree's natural product. The pitch emphasizes the machine's efficiency: it produces "five thousand finely printed duplicates" of originals hourly, at negligible cost, and claims more Mimeographs have been sold than "all other similar duplicating devices combined." This is period advertising targeting businesses and educational institutions seeking economical reproduction technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
By its fruits you must know it. The natural product of the oak is perfect acorns, just as the normal product of the Mimeograph is fine printing. If the Mimeograph fails to deliver exact copies of a clear original, some factor in the simple. process is being neglected. With ordinary care its habitual hourly grist is five thousand finely printed duplicates of a typewritten sheet, form, blank, letter, design, chart, map, etc. Too much em- phasis cannot be laid upon the exquisite work which the Mimeograph turns out—much quicker than by any other means and at almost negligible cost. More Mimeographs have been sold than all other similar duplicating devices combined—to business and educational institutions through- out the world. Let us show you how the Mimeograph outfit will cut expenses for you now. Send for interesting catalog “W-9”—from A.B. Dick Company, Chicago—and New York. NINESSRAPH comicbooks.com