Life — April 18, 1907 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine Cover, April 18, 1907 This cover illustrates "Jamestown 1607," commemorating the 300th anniversary of the English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia. The central image shows three stick-figure colonists displaying symbols of their endeavors: a Star of David (likely representing Jewish settlers or commerce), a sun (agriculture/prosperity), and other emblems suggesting various colonial activities. The border features silhouettes of period ships and indigenous figures, while the foreground shows a ship and a Native American figure in silhouette—acknowledging the colonial encounter that defined Jamestown's founding. The whimsical, almost primitive drawing style creates a deliberately naive or satirical tone, possibly mocking period romanticism about colonial origins or commenting on the historical oversimplification of colonization's complex realities.