Life — January 2, 1902 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Cover, January 2, 1902 This New Year's issue uses the caption "Some are glad and some are sad" to comment on the new century's arrival. The main illustration shows a doorway where wealthy figures peer out at a poor child in the street below, suggesting class divisions persisting into 1902. The decorative left border contains circular medallions depicting various scenes—likely referencing events from 1901 or cultural touchstones of the past year. The ornate header illustration shows mythological and allegorical figures, typical of Life's artistic style, celebrating the calendar transition. This is fundamentally social commentary on economic inequality, contrasting the comfort of the privileged with the poverty visible just outside their threshold—a pointed satire on American society as the new century begins.