Life, 1915-09-16 · page 4 of 48
Life — September 16, 1915 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **subscription advertisement** for *Life* magazine rather than a political cartoon. The page uses two classical cherub/putto figures—common decorative elements in early 20th-century design—as visual hooks. The top cherub holds a torch alongside the motto "While There Is Life, There's Hope," a play on the magazine's title. The bottom section features a nude cherub in a subscription offer format, with a dotted-line speech bubble for the reader to fill in their address. This mixing of classical imagery with commercial messaging was typical of *Life's* satirical brand identity. The "Last Week" text explains that pricing information was previously omitted "for purely artistic reasons" and promises subscription rates: one dollar for three months or five dollars yearly (with Canadian and foreign variations listed). This is commercial messaging employing artistic elements rather than political satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHILE THERE IS Last Week We omitted to publish on this page (for purely artistic reasons) the exact amount it will cost you to become (in case you are not one already) a regular subscriber. We have promised the business office we would make up this deficiency this week. The business office (for whom we confess we haven’t the greatest respect) wishes us to state that from this date on is the best period to subscribe and urges you to do so at once. Here are the fatal figures : Special Offer, *Life for 3 months (Canadian Peis, Looe $1.26) One Y Five Dollars nest ear: (Canadian $5.52, Foreign $6.04) Enclosed find One Dollar (Canadian $1.13, Foreign $1.26). Send LIFE for three months to “Open only to new subscriber; no subscription renewed at this rate. LIFE, 17 West 31st Street, New York One Year $5.00, (Canadian $5.52, Foreign $6.0) comicbooks.com ee. ||