Life, 1905-02-23 · page 8 of 22
Life — February 23, 1905 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page documents a **Life magazine contest** where readers submitted alternative titles for an illustration showing two figures in a boat serenading a woman. The winning title was **"Never Too Old to Years"** (likely meant to be "Never Too Old for Years"). The illustration depicts a romantic scene with musicians and a woman, suggesting the competition invited humorous or clever captions. Six competitors are listed with their addresses, each receiving a prize check for $84.34. The page explains that over 300 titles were submitted. Life's editors sorted through entries, selecting the most suitable candidate, though the final judgment was apparently "practically unanimous" on the winning choice. This reflects early 20th-century audience participation in magazine contests—a common form of reader engagement before digital media.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
It was se Hundred-D has been se dresses are in by to Te title which has been adjudged best suited to Neves Te lar Prize, and Lire’s check for each of the petitors, so we are ubli wy Ou ro Years: todivid sful one whose nam Miss Makie L. Russet Mrs. to Mount Plea Wine 218 Wes New T. M. MeCaktiy, 1 Se F. A. Ciaprours, Miss Dr. ce Rowbann, 29 Seven Te Kate Lew 130 Allst we Etta K. Dr 809 Unie umbus, Wisconsin, teenth edo, on Stre M ord, Massachusetts. ARUORN, Avenue, North, ortland, Oregon, e-sixth of that a THE WINNING TITLE IN THE COMPETITION. “Never Too mount Otn ro Years.” Inasmuch as five hundred is not exactly divisible by six, each of sful competitors receives a check for $83.33, with Live's and congratulations, interesting competition Lire ard, and regrets that eve one ured the full of the prize. A few words as hod of awarding the prize may be of interest to the large i ad fe were firs Lares S who competed. From the mass of titles sorted out those which were manifestly and ly unsuited to the picture, There remained fifty- h were carefully considered by Lire’s editors. From th selected the five which appealed most to his taste and judgment. d the choice to a very few titles, and careful consideration aided by Mr. Gibson, whi This reduc by the the fina Never Some of the drew the picture, bro n down to a practically unanimous choice of the title, ‘00 Old to Yearn.” ent in were the choices of large numbers of competitors, . Coleridge's Swans sing before they die, “Twere no bad thing Did certain persons die Before they sing was sent in by one hundred and thirty one hundred and twelve favored * Lov ht competitors, while 's Labor Lost.” One comicbooks.com