Life, 1911-08-10 · page 17 of 40
Life — August 10, 1911 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a *Life* magazine satire mocking the contemporary obsession with polar exploration and sensationalized newspaper coverage. The article parodies the famous rivalry between explorers Peary and Cook, who both claimed to have discovered the North Pole around 1909, generating enormous public interest and controversy. *Life's* joke: two of their own reporters claim to have "discovered" the South Pole, getting paid "$10 a word" for their story—satirizing how newspapers profited from exploration narratives. The explorers anonymously cite absurd reasons for their trip: they were broke after buying Japanese screens at auction, borrowed Curtis's biplane on impulse, and as Brooklynites simply wanted to escape home. The cartoon mocks both the explorer-celebrity phenomenon and journalism's sensationalism. References to Peary's and Cook's "derision" and "politeness" needle their real-world feud. The joke assumes readers recognize how exploration stories dominated headlines and generated lecture tours and commercial opportunities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| eee ee *LIFE- South Pole Ahoy! Discovered by Two Representatives of Life HE most stupendous discovery of modern times has just taken place quietly and without any warning. The South Pole has been g discovered. The proofs of this have been brought back by two of the most intrepid explorers of modern times. This story is being paid for at the rate of ten dollars a word, and the money deposited. Our grand lecture tour will be announced later. Commander Peary, when notified, derisivel ins!" he exclaimed. Dr. Cook, as is his wont, was much re polite. Iam very glad that representatives of Lire have had the honor of discov- cring the South Pole,” he said, “and that their story is accompanied with in- dubitable proofs. I had intended start- ing for the South Pole myself this Summer, but have been delayed owing to my vaudeville programme. Now it will not be necessar: Our two representatives refuse to give their names. “So much obloquy has attached to the act of discovery of late years,” said puincly Tremendous Excitement in All Parts of the World “A FAREWELL one of them yesterday, “that we prefer not to be known. We are willing that our fame should rest on the actual proof of our journey as furnished by the photographs.” “Will you tell us how you conceived the idea? It was quite simple. One © were strolling along the board- k at Atlantic City, when suddenly w Mr. Curtis come sailing by in his biplane. Naturally, having just spent all of our money buying Japanese Screens in an auction room, we were LOOK AT NEW yorK” looking for some means of leaving town without scandal. Mr. Curtis kindly con- sented to lend us his machine for this purpose. We thanked him and em- barked.” “Without any warning or previous thought of where you were going?” “Say not so,” interrupted the other intrepid explorer. “You sce, we are both natives of Brooklyn, and since our earliest years we have been consumed by a passion to get as far away from home as possible. The idea of some day going to the South Pole has pos- comicbooks.com