Life, 1922-07-20 · page 27 of 36
Life — July 20, 1922 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not editorial content or satire. It promotes the Mimeograph and Mimeoscope (early duplicating machines) made by the A. B. Dick Company. The ad invokes **Benjamin Franklin**—depicted in the illustration as "ye old Philadelphia" printer—to lend historical credibility and appeal to thrift. Franklin's reputation for efficient craftsmanship and shrewd business sense parallels the machines' value proposition: perfect duplication at minimal cost. The pitch targets businesses and educational institutions by emphasizing economy: one original document duplicated "five thousand an hour exactly like it" with "almost negligible cost." This was genuinely innovative technology for the era, automating what had previously required manual reproduction. The satire is mild—playing on Franklin as a thrift-minded American icon. For modern readers, the main interest is seeing early office technology marketing and the era before photocopiers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Zi Llp Benjamin of ye old Philadelphia, was a man of shrewd thrift—and our first great printer. In that fine spirit of efficient craftsmanship which was his, has the Mimeograph been conceived and perfected. Thrifty duplication! One perfect letter, or message, or bulletin, or map, - and then five thousand an hour exactly like it—that is the important work which the Mimeograph performs splendidly. And the Mimeoscope does for pictures what the Mimeograph does for words. Trace any drawing or design, place on the Mimeograph and quickly duplicate. No cuts, no delays—almost negligible cost. Thousands of business and educational institutions throughout the world are multiplying pen and typewriter power now. Why not this great saving for you? It’s a big lift to a wiser thrift. Old Benjamin would have loved it. Send today for booklet “W-7” to the A. B. Dick Company, Chicago—and New York. LLL NINESSRAPH LEE IEE od comicbooks.com