Life — September 12, 1912 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is **primarily advertising** for Victor-Victrola phonographs, with a small cartoon insert. The main cartoon (left side) depicts an ostrich with three legs, captioned "Oh, what a funny lookin' animal! It's only got three legs." This is a simple visual gag—the ostrich appears to have only three visible legs, playing on the absurdity of the observation itself. Below it, a small advertisement offers a "colored cartoon" available for fifty cents through Life Publishing Company. The bulk of the page promotes Victor-Victrola record players and talking machines, emphasizing their superior "tone quality" and various cabinet styles. This reflects early 20th-century consumer advertising in Life magazine, which relied heavily on paid advertisements alongside editorial content.