Life, 1911-08-10 · page 18 of 40
Life — August 10, 1911 — page 18: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes **polar exploration claims**, specifically referencing the **Cook-Peary North Pole controversy** (early 1900s). Two explorers famously disputed who reached the Pole first, with questions about the authenticity of their claims. The satirist mocks this by depicting an explorer's absurd account: traveling with only a "straw hat" and "patent gum-drop," sleeping in a gum-drop, and claiming the Pole itself is "revolving"—making it impossible to verify its location. The revolving Pole is the joke's centerpiece: a physical impossibility used to ridicule how explorers relied on photographs and observations to prove their claims when independent verification was impossible. The photographs shown ("First Photograph: The Revolving Pole" and "Measuring the Pole") are presented as "proof," but the satirist suggests such evidence is worthless if the Pole itself moves. The piece mocks both the explorers' competitive patriotism and public gullibility—audiences wanted to believe these heroic claims despite logical inconsistencies.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
226 sessed us both like » consuming fla We therefore welcomed this opportunity, . of course, we said nothing to Curtis about it, But let my panion continue.” “You took nothing with you?” The other intrepid explorer smiled as he went on. com. PIKst AVI. THE REVOLVING POLL 110 TOC hats and a could ex: in the bi- “Nothing but our straw which we pand : Once plane, we started off for a farewell looks at New York. Then we sped straight patent gum-drop, any moment MEASURING on South, over Mexico, over South Amicrica, over the Straits of Magellan, until— “Great Jack Frost!" we “Weren't you cold “We didn’t have ti so fast. patriotism and the thought of our coun- try’s joy, that we knew not cold or heat exclaimed, e to be, we went ides, we were so filled with & RECORDS" THE vou therefore, as we within sight of the Pole, Ib graphs. I wanted to h complete. We to make sure.” He handed us the first photograph of the Pole itself, “ Observe,” he said, “that even as we That is where and Peary made their fatal They relied their ob: servations to convince people that they the North Pole. Of eves now that cither there. With us it matter. All we had to ctly Pole ure long enough, so the revolving. The no other spot on the carth could this happen.” As soon, got n to take photo- ve the evidence nieasured it, have also took it, it was revolving both Cook mistake ade upon were actually at course, nobody be of them quite do was to hover di got was a. simple over the and make the expo: that the centre rocks immediately around could be seen picture is its own proof. In Sure cnough, it was exactly as he had said. “You “that post flat illusion will notice,” he continued, from above the Pole appears al- That is due to the optical Actually. it ws teen feet three inches high about seven “ How long were you there?” “ Just our two tion, “And where did you sleep?” “In our gum-drop, of course.” “And what did you do?” “Well, we listened to a Jot of former during weeks’ va records that happened to be there, break- comicbooks Laie |