Life, 1914-01-01 · page 4 of 44
Life — January 1, 1914 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily an **advertisement for Life magazine's upcoming "Humorous Number"** scheduled for April 16, 1914. The text announces that after years of failed attempts, Life will finally publish a genuine humor-focused issue. The decorative border consists of **repeated illustrated heads** of people in various styles of dress and facial hair—appearing to represent diverse character types or stereotypes common to early 20th-century American humor. The page also promotes: - A "Proper Number" coming March 5th - A yearly subscription offer ($5.00, or $5.52 Canadian/$6.04 foreign) - A premium picture titled "VETERANS" included with yearly subscriptions This is essentially **promotional material** rather than political satire—advertising Life's comedic content to potential subscribers in 1914.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
It Will Be Intensely Humorous The Humorous Number of Lire is coming on April 16. After many years of weary search we expect at last to accom- plish our deadly purpose. The story of Lire’s previous attempts to issue a Humorous Number is now history. After making the initial announcement, with great reluctance we were compelled to abandon the alluring idea. In this crisis our friends stood nobly by us. But from the moment when all hope seemed lost, brighter days began to dawn. Material for a genuine Humorous Number began to flow in. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we make this feeble an- nouncement. Remember the date—Thursday, April 16, 1914. nadian $1.13, Foreign $1.26). Send Lire for three months to Also That Proper Number will come on March sth. To say that this number will shock everybody is putting it with almost unpardonable mildness. 0 1 — bseri idea; this pen only to new subscribers; no subscription A new idea, this. renewed at this rate. LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York 31 Premium picture “VETERANS” given with each yearly subscription ONE YEAR $5.00. (CANADIAN $5.52, FOREIGN $6.04) comicbooks.com