Life, 1916-06-01 · page 4 of 44
Life — June 1, 1916 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features "Our Private Prize Contest," a subscription drive disguised as a humorous competition. The central figure appears to be **Theodore Roosevelt** (identifiable by the distinctive large hat and robust physique characteristic of his caricature), shown as a large man in colonial/frontier dress holding a shield. The surrounding smaller cartoons depict various character types—a child, a woman, aristocratic figures, and a man in glasses—each labeled with brief captions serving as Roosevelt-themed contest entry titles (e.g., "My kingdom for a German!"). The satire targets subscription recruitment: Life frames the contest as high-minded while openly admitting they're using social pressure and moral obligation to convert readers into paying subscribers. The joke acknowledges the manipulative nature of the marketing scheme itself.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Our Private Prize Contest Note: Nobody in this office approves of this little contest of our own but ourselves. The business office says that by not running the atrocious coupon in the lower right-hand corner of this poge hundreds of people. who might be subscribers each week are turned from this highly moral object. But the busi- ness office doesn't know everything. Read This Carelessly Here are the captions to go under the Roosevelt pic- tures on this page: “ My kingdom for a German!” “Shall I obey that impulse? Well, just watch me!” his is so—long in coming!” “ This is how 1 got my start!” Before the days of g grape Juice “You're a liar!” “Peace, be still—for everybody else but me” “Dance, d—n you, dance! “ At forty-one my spur. “T cannot bear to le Our Offer To the one who comes nearest to placing the above titles correctly under the pictures on this page we will grant the privilege of becoming a subscriber to this paper, on condition, of course, that he sends in the proper amount for the subscription, according to the terms and figures published herewith, to wit, and be that as it may; also by these presents. We don't know what these figures are, and up to the time of going to press have never been able to understand them. If we had to send in our subscription to this paper based upon our knowledge of how much money we would have to send in order to become a subscriber, we say frankly we wouldn't do it. We cannot tell you that you can get this paper for three months for one dollar because, if you live in Timbuctoo or other foreign parts, there is another rate; also, if you have been a subscriber before that makes a difference. We don't know why. The accurate figures, however, follow just helow. If you can tell what they mean, then you ought to become a subscriber. You deserve it! One year, $5.00; Canadian, $5.52; Foreign, $6.04. Special, new names only. Three months, $1; Canadian, $1.13; Foreign, $1.26. comicbooks.com