Life, 1900-03-08 · page 21 of 22
Life — March 8, 1900 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **title/advertisement page** for Life magazine's inaugural 1900 issue, not a political cartoon page. The main content announces "The Smart Set," a new monthly literary magazine emphasizing cleverness and entertainment over editorial commentary. It lists prominent contemporary writers as contributors and promises satirical content about New York society. The page includes period **advertisements** for products now considered problematic or obsolete: patent medicines (Beecham's Pills, a debility cure), an illustrated book titled "Coontown's 400" by E.W. Kemble featuring racist caricatures of Black Americans, whiskey, and an electric belt marketed as a health treatment. The "Coontown's 400" title appears to mock New York's high society "400" (the elite) by substituting a racist reference—reflecting the casual racism embedded in 1900s American entertainment and advertising. Modern readers should recognize these advertisements as documents of widespread, normalized discrimination in that era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFES OUT : THIS : WEEK VOL. 1 NO 1 1900 T HE $3.00 ET YEARLY SUBSCRIPTION PRICE 25 cts A A NEW STANDARD MONTHLY Mac Among its contributors will be such well-knoten writers as A Julien Gordon (Mrs. Van Rensselaer Cruger), Mrs. Burton Harrison, Caroline Z | N E Deer, Julian Hawthorne, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Edgar Saltus, Edgar Fawcett, Elbert Hubbard, Eliot Gregory, Arthur Grissom, Theodosia Pickering Garrison, Hallie Erminie Rives, Bliss Carman, Clinton Scollard, Vance Thompson, Carolyn Wells, R. K. Munkittrick, Charles Battell Loomis, Albert Bigelow Paine and Oliver Herford. The first number of “The Smart Set” will be published March 10th. It will contain a satire on New York society by H. C. Chatfield-Taylor and Reginald de Koven. The assistant-title, ‘A Magazine of Cleverness,” suggests the aims of ‘* The Smart Set.” It will appeal to everyone who is willing to be interested and entertained. Each number of ** The Smart Set” will contain a novel of considerable length, sev- ‘al shorter stories and stor ticles, poems and other entertaining matter. There will be 169 pages of reading matter in each issue, ** The Smart Set" will be handsomely printed on the best paper. The object of **The Smart Set" will be, not to publish the work of well-known writers, but to publish work that will make the writers well known; at the same time work by well-known writers will appear in The Smart Set.” “The Smart Set” will be a decided departure from the practically stereotyped char- acter of current magazines. Get the first number and you will understand what this means. Unlike other magazines ‘‘ The Smart Set" will contain no editorial comment. A list of prizes {or contributions, to the extent of $5,000.00 cash, will beannounced in the first mumber of ‘The Smart Set.” Clever writers should See this prize list. ESS ESS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 135 Broadway, New York OF Uamaznri<mra NOW READY! Coontown’s 400, Thirty humorous plates by E. W. Kemble, America’s best delineator of darky life. Buff Jinen binding, with special cover design in black and red. Price $2.00, of all booksellers and newsdealers, or post-free, on receipt of price, by LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY, BEECHAM'S PILLS = Portable Houses, Hunters’ Cabins, Children’s Play Houses, Summer Cottages, MERSHON & MOBLEY, Saginaw, Mich. , Rae’s Lucca Olive Combines Perfection of Quality with Absolute Purity S. RAE & CO., Leghorn, Italy. Established 1836. OLD OVERHOLT High Standard Pennsyl- vania Pure Rye Whiskey. “Bottled in Bond” direct, from the barrel at the Distillery, I offer in my DEBILITY Dr. Sanden Electric Belt a per- fect and sclentifie homo self- treatment for weaknesses, You wear itat night. Itgives strength while you sleep. Over alx thousand cured dur- ing 1898, My little book, “Three Classes of Men,” explains all, and 1s sont in plain sealed envelope free. I answer all letters personally,.or the belt may be seen and current tested at any of my offices. Dr. L. F. Saxex, 626 Drondway, Now York, N. ¥. Chicago: 183 $0. Clar! Boston : 183 Tremont