Life — June 14, 1929 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page Analysis This is an **advertisement for the Mimeograph machine**, not political satire. The page features a photograph of the device at the top and text below titled "HE WANTED A MAP." The ad tells a narrative: a sales manager needed many maps but couldn't afford them through normal means. He purchased a Mimeograph and produced thousands of copies himself, saving money on the first job alone. The technology allowed quick, economical reproduction of maps, form letters, bulletins, and charts. The "joke" or sales pitch is that this device democratized document production—what previously required expensive commercial printing could now be done in-house by businesses and educational institutions. The advertiser (A.B. Dick Company, Chicago) is selling efficiency and cost-savings to early 20th-century organizations.