Life, 1927-01-20 · page 27 of 34
Life — January 20, 1927 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **radio advertisement**, not political satire. It advertises the Grebe Synchrophase Radio, marketed as "the oldest exclusive radio manufacturer." The cartoon at top—three anthropomorphic radio dials dancing together—is **whimsical product imagery**, not satire. It illustrates the radio's key selling point: the "One-Dial Controlled" tuning system that simplifies operation while still allowing independent fine-tuning of multiple dials. The small "Colortone" illustration depicts a radio speaker personified as a face, humorously showing how the tone control feature lets users adjust sound quality—controlling "pitch and timbre" to eliminate harshness. **Context for modern readers**: This reflects 1920s radio technology, when tuning radios required adjusting multiple dials. Grebe's innovation was a master dial for simple operation alongside individual controls for advanced users. The dancing dials and speaking speaker are light comedic touches typical of 1920s advertising design.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Synchrophase a One-Dial (ontrolled he S Pes, also supplied in five —yet the advantages of indi- beautiful console : 7 ; models. vidual dial setting are not lost. UNING a Grebe is very simple—just turn the master dial, But the Flexible Unit Control also permits, if desired, the setting of each dial independently, as for extremely fine tuning of distant stations. This exclusive Grebe development is in line with several others that produce the superior reception for which Grebe has been noted for over seventeen years. Send for Booklet L which explains them all. Then ask a dealer to demonstrate. A. H. Grebe & Co., Inc., 109 W. 57th St., New York City Western Branch : 443 So. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, Cal. Factory ; Richmond Hill, N.Y. . The oldest exclusive radio manufacturer ; much is B Colortone . The effective governor é in the of tone quality, Gives rc SUR you control of the pitch and timbre of the loud ention- speaker's voice, elimi- nating the harsh, un- Th “ieeeee —Synchrophase ee RADIO comicbooks.com