Life, 1915-12-23 · page 39 of 40
Life — December 23, 1915 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. Life magazine is promoting its 1916 calendar as a luxury item. The ad uses **exaggerated, humorous language** to sell the calendar: - Claims owning it grants "wit, beauty, genuine sentiment and usefulness" - Warns that homes without it become "desert waste" - Jokes that only non-insurance agents won't know what day it is without it The decorative border features **portrait medallions** (likely of notable figures of the era, though not clearly identifiable here) connected by ornamental chains—a design choice suggesting sophistication and prestige. The calendar itself is described as **"printed in colors"** (noteworthy for 1916), measuring roughly 12x18 inches. At $1.50, it was a premium product. The tone is **tongue-in-cheek mockery of consumer desire**—Life's typical satirical approach to advertising and materialism. The final line, "Obey that Impulse!" sarcastically encourages impulse buying.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| : H Hy E | i iH i i i : i i : i t i Would you be the happy pos- sessor of wit, beauty, genuine sentiment and usefulness? Then you will secure a copy of Life’s Calendar for 1916. Calendar 1916 This is the only calendar issued by Lire for the coming year. It is printed in colors and is about a foot deep by a foot and a half wide. It is beautiful. Without it during the coming year your home will be a desert waste. You will never know (unless you are an insarance agent), when you wake up in the morning, what day of the month it is. Sent to anybody, anywhere, on receipt of $1.50. Obey that Impulse! PETER J, CAREY, PRINTER comicbooks.com