Life, 1910-08-11 · page 36 of 40
Life — August 11, 1910 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a whimsical house advertisement for *Life* magazine itself, disguised as a nautical shipping notice. The "ship" is a metaphor for the magazine's upcoming "Nautical Number," personified as a vessel carrying cargo of "beautiful girls, art treasures," "late jokes," and "barrels of good cheer"—essentially promising humorous entertainment to American readers. The humor lies in the mock-serious maritime language describing what is really just a humor magazine. References to "Lloyd's Mirth Company" (playing on Lloyd's insurance), "water-logged" competitor publications, and warnings to "navigate around the breakers of care" satirize both nautical formality and the magazine's competition. The subsequent "Coming Numbers" list announces themed issues (Fashion, Men's Rights, Automobiles, etc.), positioning *Life* as a comprehensive guide to contemporary American leisure and social trends. The special subscription offer ($1.00 for three months) targets new readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Subscription $5.00 Ship Ahoy! Bearing Two Points on the Starboard Bow, With Everything Set, and Running Free Before the Wind The Nautical Number of LIFE Outward Bound Due in Port at Eight Bells Next Tuesday This handsome craft has just come off the ways, and hails from Happy Harbour. Bound for Half-a-Milliontown. Carries a cargo of beautiful girls, art treasures, casks of the water of eternal youth, crates of late jokes, barrels of good cheer, and a miscellaneous assortment of humorous merchandise, all consigned direct to the American people. ; Auxiliary advertising gasoline engine furnishing full power. Amply insured by Lloyd’s Mirth Company. Built to stand any gale of laughter. Leaves a wide awake behind. Passed several derelict contemporaries on the way, water logged. Reports good weather to date. ripples seen anywhere. Last entry in captain’s log was: Nothing but “Obey that Impulse and secure a fifty-two weeks’ passage in this safe and seaworthy vessel, Learn to navigate around the breakers of care.” SPECIAL OFFER ‘Three Months $1.00. (Canadian, $1.13 Foreign, $1.26.) Open only to new subscribers. No subscription renewed at thir rate. This offer is net, Canadian $5.52 Coming Numbers Aug. 25. ‘ Fisherman’s Luck” Number. Has a wonderful cover. Sportsman's. Cover by s, fencing girl. Rich, rare Sept. 6. Woman's Fashion. Not altogether about fashion cither, but full of feminine foible: jot a line of useful information in if— guaranteed, . 15. Men's Rights. ought to be nothing in thi: ber, to be consistent wi title. Sept. 22. Furbelow Number. An- nouncement later. Sept. 29. Sky. Uplifting. Full of airy ‘persiflage. Warranted to carry a hundred thousand people on the finest aerial joy ride known. All aboard ! Oct. 6. Auto. This is all we can say about this number at present. possibilities of what it is going to be fairly takes away our breath. We'll tell you about it later. Also Hell. Humorous. Goody Goody Midnight. Witches. Foreign $6.04 “Tve not nued the <