Life, 1923-03-01 · page 4 of 36
Life — March 1, 1923 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Mimeograph company advertisement**, not satire. The ad promotes the Mimeograph machine as essential business equipment for "modern commerce." The ornate oval illustration shows two figures in what appears to be an elegant office setting, likely representing successful businesspeople benefiting from the technology. The ad's title claims "the gods of commerce most generously serve those who make best use of their finest tools." The copy emphasizes the Mimeograph's role in reducing costs and increasing efficiency—it produces clean copies of typewritten forms, designs, and illustrations "privately, and at almost negligible cost." The text highlights its "twin," the Mimeoscope, for tracing illustrations. This reflects early-20th-century American business culture's faith in mechanization and efficiency as paths to commercial success. The ad concludes with an offer for a free booklet from A.B. Dick Company, Chicago.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The gods of commerce most generously serve those who make best use of their finest tools One does not win in the severe competition for success, unless one has the equipment for win- ning. F In a giant share of the successful institutions of the civilized world the Mimeograph is a powerful tool for the beating down of costs and the speeding up of efficiency. When the Mimeograph moves in, sloth and extravagance be- come distressing interlopers. That is the reason why it is to- day performing such wide-spread and important service every- where. It is the great economizer. Five thousand clean-cut copies of a typewritten sheet, form. blank, design or picture is its hourly output. It does this important work privately, and at almost negligible cost. And its twin, the Mimeoscope, by which illustrations, cartoons, diagrams, maps, etc., are easily traced upon the stencil for quick duplication, has added tremen- dously to its usefulness. Why not ascertain today just what this efficient tool of modern commerce can do for you? We will send, without charge, booklet “W-3.” Address now A. B. Dick Company, Chicago. MINEGSRAPH comicbooks.com eae 2 a Ca i