Life, 1923-02-22 · page 2 of 36
Life — February 22, 1923 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising, not satire or editorial cartoon**. It's a Western Electric company advertisement promoting specialized telephones for unusual applications. The headline "Some telephones you may never have heard of" introduces various niche telephone uses. The page showcases: - **Airplane telephones** (top image) - **Field communication** during wartime (referenced as helping "win the war") - **Railroad telephones** for trains - **Emergency outdoor telephones** for remote locations - **Public address systems** ("like speaking two feet away") The advertisement emphasizes Western Electric's 46-year expertise manufacturing specialized electrical equipment beyond standard desk phones. Each photograph demonstrates a practical application—war reporting, train operations, rural emergency services—positioning the company as an innovative industrial supplier rather than just a consumer telephone provider.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Lire: Published Weekly by Life Publishing Company at 598 Madison Avenue, N.Y. Entered as Second Class Ma N. ¥., under the act of March ¢.8, 1883, 18 at the Post OMice at New York, Cuantes Dana Gipson, President Five wah Eatered as Second Class = Gponon 1 pice President - Entered as os I 3 easurer f February 22,1923 conyright, 1924. LIFE, Inthe “Cuited Suates: Bhetand andthe eiiish Possessions P= F- PROVANDIE, "Western Manager | Some telephones you may | | N the clouds or in the depths of the earth, men will always need to talk together—and there | are telephones which enable them to do it. Not the familiar instrument on your desk or wall. Special needs have demanded special types. To help develop these, a skill gained in 46 years of making telephones has been called into play. Western Electric is the oldest and largest manu- facturer of telephones in the world. “PUMPS OUT OF ORDER.” An | emergency from a mile below | ground. The mine telephone has | warned in time to prevent many a disaster. Western Electric people like to think of, this help when \ they are making the instru. i IT HELPED WIN THE WAR. mE Telephones like this played an impor- | tant part in reporting enemy move- ments along the Western front. For peace or war, the opportunity of ai plane telephones to render real service, | helps to make our job of producing | them an interesting one. | | STALLED A HUNDRED | MILES FROM | NOWHERE. | Conductor tap: i ping in on the a wires with a port- ; able telephone, to ] } callforhelp. Used | | by track inspec- | tors, too, to re- | port washouts, | here is another Western Electric product which is saving lives. LIKE SPEAKING TWO FEET AWAY. Every syllable loud and_ distinct. The Public ‘Address System makes it possible for speakers to talk to tens of thousands, This remarkable product of the in- ventor’s genius and the manufac- turer’s skill carries a whisper for blocks, comicbooks.com