Life — February 24, 1910 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "This Number" - Life Magazine Editorial Page This page explains Life's decision to publish an "improper" issue—likely featuring risqué or controversial content. The editorial discusses the challenge of being "improperly improper" without vulgarity, and describes receiving urgent letters from readers nationwide demanding they proceed despite critics' objections. The illustration titled "When Aunt Prudella Crossed the Register in Our Hall" depicts a scandalized older woman confronting what appears to be a nude male figure emerging from a brain-shaped structure—a surreal image suggesting the intellectual/psychological discomfort of propriety being violated. The photograph shows two figures in what appears to be an awkward domestic confrontation, with a caption about mistaking one's neighbor's apartment. The overall theme satirizes Victorian prudishness and American hypocrisy around sexuality and decency.