Life, 1916-01-27 · page 2 of 44
Life — January 27, 1916 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **magazine advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes *Vanity Fair* magazine to potential subscribers using humorous social commentary typical of 1920s advertising. The cartoon depicts two fashionable figures sharing a striped umbrella, appearing to emerge from water—illustrating the phrase "Are you marooned? Are you out of the swim?" The ad uses this metaphor to suggest that without *Vanity Fair*, readers are socially isolated and culturally behind. The magazine promises to keep subscribers current on theater, sports, art, fashion, and high society—essential knowledge for maintaining social status among the "metropolitan life" crowd. The humor relies on equating magazine subscription with social competence and class standing—a common advertising strategy of the era emphasizing aspiration and social anxiety.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Februery 1916 Are you marooned? Are you out of the swim? of the waves—into the mad currents of metro- politan life. It will buoy you up and sustain you in the whirling world of New York. It will serve as your little social life-boat. It will chap- eron you, without trouble (or expense of taxicabs), in New York's most frigid, marble-and-gold society; show you the widely discussed paint- ings and sculptures; take you behind the scenes. at the theatres; tell you what to ramble on about at dinners and dances; show you where to go shopping. [ so, Vanity Fair will launch you on the crest You will become a regular person It will whisper addresses where you can fox- trot (even if you are happily married); present you to the more portentous metropolitan celebri- ties; give you plenty of golf and other sports; buy you a good dog or motor car; accelerate the pulse of your brain; tone up your heart action; in short, transfer you from a social back-number into a regular Class A, human being. ‘ANITY FAIR is one of the newest successes in the magazine field. It is published monthly at 25 cents a copy or $3 a year. It is a mirror of life, original and picturesque; informal, personal, intimate, frivolous, un- conventional, but with a point of view at once wholesome, stimulating and refreshing. Take the cream of your favorite magazines of the theatre, sports, books and art. Add the sprightly qualities of such publications as The Sketch, The Tatler and La Vie Parisienne with something of Broadway and Fifth Avenue —all within beautiful color covers—and you have a general idea of Vanity Fair. Come in: the water’s fine! OU think nothing, in your poor deluded way, of paying $2 for a theatre ticket, or for book, but you can secure, for $2, nearly a y of Vanity Fair, and with it more enter ment than you can derive from dozens of sex plays or a shelffull of problem novels. Why not get in on our special rest-of-the-year offer? Stop where youare! —_/ 9 Tear off that coupon! / * 3° AGA comicbooks.com