Life, 1891-12-31 · page 1 of 53
Life — December 31, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine New Year's Number - December 31, 1891 This is Life magazine's "New Years Number" cover for December 31, 1891. The central figure appears to be Lady Liberty or a personification of "Life" itself, depicted as a classical female figure seated and gesturing triumphantly toward the incoming new year. She's surrounded by cherubs or putti (baby figures) above her, and a small child figure at lower left. The large letters spelling "LIFE" dominate the left side. The radiating lines and upward gesture suggest optimism and celebration—this is a celebratory welcome to 1892. The classical allegorical style was typical of 19th-century American editorial illustration, using personified virtues and ideals to mark significant moments like the New Year.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OLUME XVIII. NEW YORK, DECEMBER 31, 1891. NUMBER 470. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter, . Copyright, 1891, by Mrrewatt & Miniar, comicbooks.com