Life — June 23, 1904 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Girl" — Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes **magazine editorial advice** to contributors. The left side features a sketch of an attractive young woman, illustrating the essay's central point: to succeed in modern magazines, always include "the picture of a girl." The text mockingly prescribes a formula for magazine success: stories set in France, poems with "historical romance," articles on sports—but crucially, **every piece must feature an attractive woman's portrait**. This is satirizing the visual culture of early 20th-century American magazines, which relied heavily on female imagery to sell copies. The accompanying anecdotes (about custom house officers and Mrs. Whipple) are humorous examples showing how absurdly this rule applies even when irrelevant. The satire targets both magazine publishers' cynical commercial practices and readers' predictable preferences.