Life, 1910-08-25 · page 38 of 40
Life — August 25, 1910 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a promotional page for *Life* magazine's upcoming "Sporting Number." The illustrated head on the left appears to be a generic "old chap" or gentleman figure—likely representing the typical *Life* reader—used as a playful mascot. The satire targets the magazine industry's dependence on advertising. *Life* self-mockingly notes that producing a paper *without* advertisements would be "uninteresting," implying that ads subsidize quality. This was a genuine editorial debate of the era. The page also advertises upcoming special issues ("Woman's Number," "Men's Rights," etc.), using deliberately whimsical titles like "Furbelow" and "Sky" to suggest the magazine's satirical, lighthearted approach. The small cartoon figures at the bottom are decorative doodles typical of *Life*'s cartooning style. This is essentially advertising copy disguised as editorial commentary—meta-humor about the magazine's own reliance on advertisements.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Cheer Up, Old Chap! The ‘Sporting Number” of LIFE Will Be Out Next Week. Contrary to our usual practice, we must say a word of praise for Sept. 8—Woman’s Number. this number. “* 15—Men’s Rights. It is rather of an altogether delightful and “ 22 Furbelow. alluringly entrancing, bewilderingly beautiful and Pr intellectually exciting affair. We understand that 29—Sky. it will contain advertisements. Some day, for fun, we intend to issue a number of LIFE without any advertisements, just to show how uninteresting it can be made. In these days, did you ever sce a really inter- esting paper without any advertisements? At bottom the problem is financial. More “ ads,” better paper. But about this Sporting Number next week. A big number, replete (this is the last time we shall use the word “replete.” Vale, old friend! You have done well) with ideas. Just ideas. Big ideas and little ideas, humor- ous and fantastical ideas, prim, punctilious ideas, reckless and inconsequential ideas, sane and foolish, funny and fundamental, fanciful and freakish ideas. All—or enough—about sports. Mental sports, physical sports, pictorially perpetuated by peren- nially permutative pen and pencil geniuses. We do not advise you to buy this number. It isn’t necessary. We don’t have to. Every- one knows that Life without LIFE is 8 lifeless. Other Coming Numbers are: Humorous, fortune telling things & ty interest every human being Goody Goody, born. It concerns your birth- Hell. day, and your future depends if on it. Is your birthday in Sep- idni 7? “Be et Midnight. tember?” "he on hand ands Remember, The Great Fortune Subscription $5.00 Canadian $5.52 Foreign $6.04 Teller, begins ext week. Comicbooks.com