Life, 1909-12-09 · page 31 of 32
Life — December 9, 1909 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising disguised as humor**. The dialogue depicts a domestic quarrel: a husband forgets his wife's Christmas shopping list, but cleverly proposes that LIFE magazine's art prints serve as gifts instead—solving both the shopping problem and promoting the product. The satire targets **early 20th-century consumer culture and marital dynamics**. The wife is portrayed as anxious, detail-obsessed, and burdened by Christmas obligations (25 people to buy for), while the husband is forgetful yet charming enough to redirect her frustration. His solution—that art prints are "appropriate" gifts—reflects the magazine's positioning of reproductions as cultured, tasteful alternatives to material goods. The accompanying photographs illustrate photogravure quality. The tagline "while there's Life there's hope" is a pun playing on both the magazine's name and a common aphorism. This is **product placement dressed as marital comedy**, targeting middle-class readers who valued both artistic sophistication and practical solutions to holiday stress.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Making Good “Hello! This you?” “Yes, dear. What's the matter? Your voice is—’ “Well, why shouldn’t it be cross? Do you know what you did? You went off this morning without that Christmas list.”” “Oh, you mean—” “Now you know perfectly well what I mean. You promised Corymgne 1908 by Life Pub Cov to shop for me to-day and get all — [p> : ak those little things that we simply must have for Christmas presents. I put it right before your ey and—" “Now, darling, please don’t be cross. You know I’m rushed and really I—” “But you don’t realize what it means! It’s hard enough for me to plan anyway. And_ here are at least twenty-five people that we must send gifts to, and if A CHOICE SPOT TO LOCATE QUEEN TAKES JACK you had just taken that list and Photo-Gravure, 16 x 13% in. 50 cents: followed my instructions it would—"" “Darling! Don’t worry, I knew that I had forgotten that list on my way down town, and a brilliant idea came to me.” “What is it? You haven’t had a brilliant idea for so long that— “Listen. Don’t you remem- ber that lovely litle catalogue of LIFE’S prints we were looking at the other day? Why not select enough pictures to send off for Christmas presents?) They are in = = splendid taste ; everybody will be Photo-Gravure, 9 x15 in. $1.00 CULTIVATING THE WAIST PLACES delighted with them; they are naeernnee : Photo-Gravure 16x 13% in. 50 cents, artistic, and if you tried, could Photo-Gracure, 16 x 13% in, 80 cents. you possibly think of anything more appropriate for a Christmas gift?” “Vou ¢ Strange I ne thought of ¢af before. Of course, you're right. And the list ?”? “Darling! Don’t you remember that I forgot it?" “Oh, ves, of course. I will go over the catalogue and order the pictures at once. Oh, Ge '? “Ves, darlir “Vou dear thing! To think I have been struggling over this Christmas problem for years and that your mind should have solved it by accident.” “Darling! Remember that while there’s Life there’s hope.” On receipt of twenty-five cents we will send you our new pocket edition of LIFE'S PRINTS. Ut contains 169 reproductions, in sizes here shown, of these most artistic and pleasure: giving pictures. The larger prints are PHOTO-GRAVURES of the highest possible quality and finish. Neither care nor expense has becn spared to obtain the very best artistic results. LIFE PUBLISHING COMPANY, 17 West 31st St., New York THE WILLIAMS PRINTING COMPANY comicbooks.com