Life, 1915-12-09 · page 6 of 48
Life — December 9, 1915 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **subscription advertisement** for *Life* magazine, not a political cartoon. The central image shows a cheerful character (appears to be a elf or gnome) holding a sign advertising Life magazine subscriptions as Christmas gifts. The decorative border features holiday imagery—toys, bells, wreaths, and festive items—establishing a Christmas theme. The accompanying letter from "Tom" to "John" is a personal endorsement encouraging gift subscriptions to Life. Tom mentions sending a Christmas card and picture as premiums with the subscription. **The "satire" here is gentle commercial messaging**: positioning a magazine subscription as an ideal gift. The note about it being "mighty hard to know just what your best friend will like for Christmas" humorously frames the magazine as a foolproof present. This represents early 20th-century magazine marketing, blending personal recommendation with holiday sentiment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Letter from an Old Friend Dear John: This is just a line from Sarah and me wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and to say that I am sending you and the family Life for one year as a little remembrance. You will get a Christmas card from Life with your names filled out and a picture as a premium, which you can put up in your den; but I just want to put in a word of my own. You know it’s mighty hard to know just what your best friend will like for Christmas, ut Sarah and | felt we couldn't go wrong on Life. With best wishes and love to the kids. As ever, Dear Lire: Enclosed find dollars, for which please send Lire as a Christmas present to the following: Name Street P.O. State Signed Note: Live's subscription rates are $5.00 for one year (Canadian, $5.52; Foreign, $6.04); and (Special Offer to new names only) $1 for three months (Canadian, $1.13; Foreign, $1.26). We forward from this office a handsome colored Christmas card (miniature reproduction above) announcing the gift in time for the holiday. The subscription will start from Christmas, unless otherwise directed. comicbooks.com