Life, 1911-02-23 · page 4 of 44
Life — February 23, 1911 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces Life magazine's "Peacock Number" — a special issue using the peacock (the magazine's mascot) as its theme. The title "Vanity, Vanity, all is Vanity" plays on the biblical phrase about human pride. The satirical text poses two contrasting personality types to readers: Are you vain, egotistical, and fashionable — or timid, shy, and shrinking? The joke suggests that Life magazine's "Peacock Number" will help readers discover their "proper happy medium," implying that neither extreme is ideal. This is self-promotional satire: the text jokes that some people think the page "praises LIFE" while denying it does so — a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the magazine's own vanity in publishing special themed issues. The bottom lists upcoming special issues (Easter, Burglar's, Travel, Dog numbers), showing Life's regular practice of themed editions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Fanity, Vanity, all 1s Fantty Ay ares wy, PAY, hg “Peacock Number of fe Which is due on all news-stands east of the Mississippi next Tuesday afternoon (see Life’s Time Table). Are you vain and egotistic, are you priggish in your mind? To reflections eulogistic are you joyfully inclined? Are you fashionable and strutting and enamoured of yourself? Do the dashes you are cutting put all others on the shelf? Or, Are you timid, coy and shrinking? Are you blushing, bashful, shy? Do you have that feelin sinking? Do you ever long to die? In either case, the Peacock Number of LIFE will be the only thing that will readjust you to the proper happy medium. A large, luxuriant number. It is all we can do not to say more than this, but we don’t dare, as some people have the idea that this page is printed to praise LIFE. (Dear! dear!) MARCH =o EN RAL NUMBER Cover APRIL 13--BURGLAR'S NUMBER. Cover by Hutt. is, by the way, is a very ~y i an: remarkable cover: ite only girl but PRL ce ap fe ae such a girl! Look for her. She is look- E Sy a #- ing over a book.) APRIL 6—EASTER NUMBER. Cover by nary husbands and wives will be de- MARCH 30—TRAVEL. Cover by Dart. Phillips. This completes the great tri- picted in this monumental number. Will This started out to be a general number, umvirate of numbers, the first of which interest every criminal in the country (4 pe CR anpeeta, Ey sry torm of mod. was the Christmas Number, and the large circulation anticipated). veling as e - ; ern travel depicted, without the slightest Second the Gasoline. iolormation = (hoy other = papers dors APRIL 20—DOG NUMBER. Cover by Hutt. Devoted to man's greatest friend. Subscription $5.00 Canadian $5.52 Foreign $6.04 comicbooks.com