Life — November 8, 1923 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is primarily a **Mimeograph machine advertisement** dressed as editorial content. The illustration shows two figures in period dress examining what appears to be a printing device, framed ornamentally at the top of the page. The advertisement argues that businesses should abandon "antiquated" methods (represented by the barefoot "ancients") and adopt the Mimeograph for efficient, cost-effective document reproduction. It emphasizes speed—claiming the device can produce 5,000 copies hourly—and positions the Mimeograph as essential for modern business operations like distributing forms, bulletins, and organizational materials. The "satire" is gentle: the ad sarcastically compares old methods to ancient barefoot labor, positioning the Mimeograph as progress. This reflects early 20th-century business culture promoting office modernization. The A.B. Dick Company, Chicago, manufactured Mimeographs.