Life, 1922-12-21 · page 29 of 42
Life — December 21, 1922 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward **product advertisement** for Kodak cameras, appearing in *Life* magazine (page 27). The image shows a domestic Christmas scene: a mother photographing her daughter in bed with a new Kodak camera. The accompanying text describes how the camera becomes central to holiday enjoyment—the father and uncle are also taking pictures during a snowball fight. **The appeal:** The ad frames photography not as a luxury but as a way to *capture and preserve* family Christmas moments, making the camera itself a gift that enhances the holiday experience rather than competing with it. **Historical context:** This represents early 20th-century marketing of consumer photography to middle-class families. Kodak's slogan "You press the button, we do the rest" had democratized photography, and this ad emphasizes the emotional value—memory-making—rather than technical specifications. Prices started at $6.50, positioning cameras as accessible holiday gifts. There is no political satire or social commentary here—simply consumer marketing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
L Keep Christmas with a Kodak While far too excited to dress, little Jane has popped into bed again to pose for a picture with mother’s new Kodak. And that only starts the fun. Even now father and Uncle Stan are renewing their youth in a snowball fight—and there’s another picture. Kodak is a gift that slips out of the holiday box into the spirit of Christmas. Autographic Kodaks $6.50 up Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y. « Keds comicbooks.com