Judge, 1927-10-08 · page 26 of 36
Judge — October 8, 1927 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an advertisement for TIME magazine's inaugural subscription offer, disguised as satirical commentary. The cartoon depicts a lone, well-dressed man seated in a spotlight within a vast, dark auditorium—symbolizing TIME's positioning as a publication for the selective elite rather than the masses. The satire targets the magazine's own exclusivity: it humorously compares TIME to a vanity publication a wealthy Manhattan businessman might commission solely for himself. The copy emphasizes TIME serves "the active man and woman of high intelligence"—a deliberately snobbish pitch that frames regular newspapers as inadequate. The "$1.00 for twelve issues" offer (presented as half the newsstand price) undercuts the elitism while promoting accessibility to this rarefied audience. The Newton D. Baker endorsement adds authority. This appears to be from TIME's early marketing phase, establishing its brand identity as intelligent, concise, and superior to competitors' coverage.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A PAPER WITH ONE SUBSCRIBER and that one—YOU! N MANHATTAN was a rich man who had a newspaper written and printed every week for his private consumption. The paper was so constructed that it gave him in one hour a complete survey of the world’s news. If you were to publish a paper for your personal use and enjoyment, a paper to tell you precisely what has happened in the world, “to give you more information on the news of the day in quicker time than any other publication”, we believe that paper would closely resemble TIME. TIME is not written for the masses, does not deal in millions of circulation. TIME is written as a very personal document for the active man and woman of high intelli- gence and quick apperceptions, “All the news of all the world of all the week—”’ From every news-source in the world, TIME collects all available information on every important event. Verifies it. Com- Presses it into brief, vivid paragraphs. TIME’s first paragraph tells exactly how the President of the United States has spent the past week. Next, his cabinet passes in review. Look, then, to, “Foreign News” for masterpieces of ,condensation. You are given keen, penetrating glimpses of the realms of art, literature, science, medicine, education, aeronautics, religion, sport, cinema, books, in the concluding pages. And under the heading“ Miscellany” you will find the weirdest collection of oddi- ties ever salvaged from the vastidity of news. Allillustrated by striking crayons or photographs of men and women in the news. Twelve Sparkling Issues for only $1.00 Pin a dollar bill to the coupon below for twelve world pictures— painted with the wisdom that is TIME’s own. You save 24 about half what the next twelve issues of TIME would cost on the news-stand, And you immediately class yourself with those whose interests reach out beyond the railroad station. Sign, tear off, and mail the coupon now. TIME The Weekly Magazine TIME, Incorporated, 25 West 45th Street, New York, N. Y. Gentlemen: I want to keep my world picture strictly up-to-date. Will you please help me doit with TIME for the next twelve (12) weeks? I enclose $1.00. ( ) Check here if you prefer to be billed. Name ~ Street - City. o- tate, “I know no other equally adequate and equally brie} survey of the weekly news.” —Newton D, Baker. comicbooks.com