Life, 1927-09-08 · page 4 of 36
Life — September 8, 1927 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily an advertisement**, not satire or editorial content. It's a promotional piece for the Mimeograph machine, published in *Life* magazine. The ad emphasizes the Mimeograph as a "modern necessity" for business and education, comparing it to the semaphore (a signaling system) as essential infrastructure. The ornate illustration shows the machine itself—a mechanical device for mass-producing documents. The ad lists A.B. Dick Company's factory branches across major American cities, positioning the Mimeograph as a nationwide service. The context suggests this dates to the early-to-mid 20th century, when mimeograph machines were genuinely transformative office technology, enabling rapid document duplication before photocopiers existed. There is no cartoon or political satire present on this page.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MODERN NECESSITIES The high speed and efficiency of modern transpor- tation would not be possible without dependable signal systems. Many of the activities of modern business and education could not now be successfully carried on without the help of the Mimeograph. Like the semaphore, the Mimeograph delivers important and necessary service. Its ability to reproduce accurately thousands of letters, bulletins, maps, blanks, forms, etc., in every working hour, makes it a high requisite in today’s affairs. Direct factory branches at New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, continue a nation-wide service as efficient as the Mimeograph itself. Without obligation to you A. B. Dick Company, Chicago, will send booklet and full particulars. comicbooks.com