Life — July 5, 1929 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **Kolster Radio advertisement**, not political satire. The illustration shows a well-dressed man with a cane confronting a woman at an open window—a visual pun on the advertiser's product name and the phrase "the open window." The ad plays on the old proverb "Reputation is built by Reputation," claiming Kolster radios are so highly regarded that satisfied owners enthusiastically recommend them to neighbors. The threatening pose of the man appears designed to humorously suggest the aggressive enthusiasm of word-of-mouth marketing. The text promises that listening to the Kolster Program (Wednesday evenings on Columbia Chain) will make readers join "thousands of satisfied Kolster owners." This 1929 advertisement targets radio-set purchasers during the early commercial broadcast era.