Life, 1912-02-01 · page 4 of 48
Life — February 1, 1912 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **subscription advertisement** for Life magazine, not a political cartoon. The small illustration at top shows three caricatured figures—two men and a woman—seated together, appearing to be in social conversation or gossip. The ad text humorously parodies Shakespeare's *Hamlet* ("To bridge or not to bridge..."), sarcastically promoting bridge (the card game) as a cure for boredom. The satire suggests that taking up bridge is preferable to suffering life's tedious afflictions. The real content here is the **marketing pitch**: Life offers a three-month subscription for one dollar. The illustration likely represents typical Life readers—fashionable urbanites engaged in social leisure activities—reinforcing the magazine's appeal to middle and upper-class audiences seeking entertainment and satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Coming — Next Week To bridge or not to bridge, that is the question. Whether it is better to suffer the spade suits of an outrageous fortune, or to make il no trumps against continu- ous odds, and by risking end them. To deal, repeat, and by long sessions say we end the thousand natural shocks that boredom is heir to; to sleep, perchance to renege— Aye, there’s the rub. Beller by far OBEY THAT IMPULSE at once, and by placing your order immediately for the Great Bridge Number next week, thereby noting the absolute futility of playing Bridge until your faculties become perma- nently disabled, take warning and insure yourself against innocuous lar (Can- desuetude — wae nic Foreign $1.26). whatever Send LiFe for three months to that Is. Or Avail your- self of Life's Great Special Ofer—Three Months for one dollar—by filling in the attached coupon and sending eee the money with your name and address, pis salp ia ew wanastberr ns eanests® tion renewed at this rate. This offer is net. LIFE, 17 West 31, New York. ONE YEAR $5.00, (CANADIAN $5.52, FOREIGN $6.04.)