Life, 1910-02-24 · page 7 of 36
Life — February 24, 1910 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
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.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
UR readers may be interested to know something about the history of this number, which has occasioned so much interest ever since it was first an- nounced. When the suggestion was first made that we issue an Improper Number it seemed such an obviously proper thing to do that we hailed the idea with joy and set immediately about our nefarious work. After we had begun upon it, however, and had made the announce- ment, there followed that inevitable pe- riod of discouragement which is always a part of the making of a masterpiece. We then realized that nothing is more difficult than to be improper in a way that will instruct and uplift. To be de- lightfully improper without being vulgar is one of the most difficult things in the world “WHEN AUNT PRUDELLA CROSSED THE REGISTER IN OUR HALL.”” Jones (who has mistaken his neighbor's apartment for his own): su! WE'LL TALK THISH OVER IN THE (hic) wuzzer worp, MY DEAR! As the material came in we realized this more and more. But ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die— we determined to issue this number “or bust.”’ Week after week went by, however, and we kept putting off the fatal mo- ment. Our readers were growing hourly more impatient We received urgent letters from almost every State in the union, and every country on the globe; the burden of our critics’ songs was al- Nor MORNING ways the same—they felt sure that we wouldn't have the nerve to do it. Thus time went on and the situation daily became more critical. Calm in the confidence of our perfect innocence, we waited in joyous anticipation of the great event, selecting, as we believe, the psychological moment—just about mid- way between St. Valentine’s and Easter— in which to issue this number. And here it is, with Lire’s proper (or improper) compliments. comicbooks.com