Life, 1909-12-09 · page 28 of 32
Life — December 9, 1909 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is a satirical advertisement disguised as editorial content. The masthead "YES, WE DID!" announces Life's subscription campaign, offering a free photogravure artwork titled "Playing Bridge" (showing a woman in bed) to new subscribers paying five dollars for a year's subscription, beginning with the Christmas issue. The humor operates on multiple levels: Life mocks its own aggressive advertising while simultaneously executing that very campaign. The "Psychological Moment" section sarcastically positions subscription as a cure for depression—a parody of exaggerated medical advertising of the era. The testimonial from a supposed "Regular Subscriber" describing how reading Life cured his suicidal thoughts and gloomy disposition is absurdist satire, explicitly mocking the testimonial advertising style common in contemporary publications. The page also teases upcoming special issues (Motor Boat, Chorus Girls' Number), maintaining reader interest. Overall, this exemplifies Life's satirical house style: self-aware, tongue-in-cheek mockery of commercial culture while participating in it.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
YES, Copyright 1908 by Lite Publishing Co. PLAYING BRIDGE. Photo-Gravure, 20 x 15 in. This is what happens to you if you come right in now and subscribe to Lire for a year from December 1. You get this Picture Free; Also the Great Christmas Number. Coming We've got to issue a Motor Boat number on February 17 The advertising de- partment demands it We wonder if it will have any pictures in it about Motor Boats? Does this matter? What is the use of having a special number if you can't do as you please with it? fooling you all along about becoming a regular subscriber to this delightful \ (we were going to say “little,” and then we remembered that it is large these days) aggregation of Wit, Hu- mor and Wisdom. You may think that just’ because we have been nice and pleasant about it, we haven't been serious. But we really meant it. Yes, we did. Now this is the Psychological Moment of the year. Let us get down to business for just this moment and consider what it means. Do you know of anything more important than being Cheered Up? Do you know of any better way of being cheered up than being on Lire’s sub- scription list? Right now—at this moment—by sending us five dollars, you get, in addition to your regular subscription, a free picture, and the great Christ- mas number. Fill This Out And Return Dear Lire: inclosed find five dollars, for which send me Lire for one year, be- ginning with your great Christmas Issuc of cighty pages. It is under- stood that I will also receive a copy of Balfour Ker's picture, “ Playing Bridge,” to be sent me on receipt of the enclosed. The Chorus Girls’ Number is coming on Dec. 30th, or in just three weeks. Be prepared for anything you see. CANADIAN $5.52 WAS troubled with gloomy thoughts. Daring the night I would frequently get up and walk around the block I shed tears on the slightest provocation Seven doctors had operated on me and T had read fourteen health books, and tried a dozen diets. I had pains in my mind and disposition, and was a burden to everybody, My wife avoided me ex cept on payday. Everybody disliked me. I felt that it wasn’t much use, and decided to end all. One day by acci dent I happened to pass a newsstand and saw a copy of LIFE. I picked it up as if in a dream. Mechanically I read “Obey That Impulse and Subscribe "I had tried everything else. As a last resort I sent for the paper—I became a regular. Pretty soon I began to notice achange. Thad not taken two copies internally before [ began to pick up. The color came back to my cheeks. I began to notice my friends I caught myself laughing on several occasions in spite of myself. Ig: weight. Now I ama speak of LIFE to everybody I meet. My complete recovery 1s entirely due to the fact that I Had Faith, Obeyed That Impulse, and became A Regular Subscriber Our friend's experience can be dupli- cated by everybody. Why hesitate when your Life may hang in the balance? Next Week A Regular. FOREIGN $6.04 comicbooks.com