Life — May 5, 1927 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page contains **advertising, not political satire or comics**. It's a vintage advertisement for the Royal Portable Typewriter from the Royal Typewriter Company, located at 316 Broadway, New York. The ad emphasizes the machine's modern lightweight design (9.5 pounds) and portability, marketed toward "every man of affairs, every traveler, every housewife, every student." The photograph shows the typewriter alongside books and a decorative lamp, suggesting it's a sophisticated tool for personal and professional writing. The "Special Features" box lists practical attributes: visibility, keyboard design, paper capacity, ribbon reverse, spacing accuracy, and dust protection. The tagline "it is built to last a lifetime" appeals to durability and value—typical sales rhetoric of the era. This is straightforward product marketing, not satirical content.