Life, 1897-12-30 · page 7 of 21
Life — December 30, 1897 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine presents a humorous "polar expedition" narrative. The top section contains dispatches from "Commander Hornblower" describing an expedition near the North Pole, with tongue-in-cheek updates about Christmas plans and an invented "fly-paper" device supposedly designed to trap bears. The upper illustration shows a polar bear examining the fly-paper contraption under moonlight—the joke being the absurdity of using fly-paper on bears. The lower illustration depicts "Life's Polar Expedition—The Christmas Tree," showing an underground shelter where expedition members gather around a makeshift Christmas tree, with the caption "IN ADVERTISING WE TRUST" visible. This satirizes both the hardships of polar exploration and contemporary advertising culture, suggesting even in extreme conditions, commercial messaging persists.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life’s Polar Expedition. T= Same Old Game, tethered to an ice- berg, is now passing the holidays within a stone’s throw of the Pole, Commander Hornblower sends us carrier-pigeon specials as follows: Dec. 20.—We are now almost within sight of the Pole, but that is a minor matter. We shall, at the proper time, ship it on board and fetch it back, thus eclipsing all former expeditions; but at present the main point is to pass a pleasant Christmas. The only thing to mar this fs the polar bear nuisance. They have been bothering us a great deal lately, Not having any screens I was obliged to resort to fly-paper, having re- membered to bring some along, thinking that we might need it. We have invented a new game and it helps admirably to pass away the time. Bets are made as to whether an odd or even number of bears will light on a piece of fly-paper within a given time. It is very ex- citing. Dec. 21.—I wish you would begin to arrange matters for my return, Get the usual number of paragraphs inserted in the papers, and the more gushy they are the better. Tell Pond to IN ADVERTISING WE TRUST 4! Great Success of the Fly-Paper. do some lying awake nights, thinking of new schemes to entrap the public. I Lirr’s Potar Expepition.—The Christmas Tree. count on his codperation. Have a long lecture tour prepared, and arrange with