Life, 1916-09-28 · page 40 of 41
Life — September 28, 1916 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not satire or a political cartoon** — it's a straightforward cruise ship advertisement from the United Fruit Company's "Great White Fleet." The page promotes Caribbean vacations to Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, and Central/South America, emphasizing exotic leisure: calm seas, tropical health benefits, fine dining, and comfortable staterooms. The decorative illustrations show seabirds and a ship, establishing an aspirational travel aesthetic. The reference to the "fabled fountain of youth" in the "Spanish Main" appeals to early 20th-century fantasies about tropical rejuvenation. **Historical context:** The United Fruit Company was a major American corporation with significant economic and political interests throughout Central America and the Caribbean. While the ad itself contains no obvious satire, modern readers should recognize that this company's commercial dominance in the region had serious geopolitical implications, though those are not addressed on this page. This appears to be a standard commercial advertisement in *Life* magazine, not editorial commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Call of the Caribbean South with the birds; cruising over calm seas, blue as sapphire, where winter never comes and where the soft trade winds bring renewed health —with all the comforts and all the luxuries of life you enjoy aboard the palatial ships of the GREAT WHITE FLEET. Delicious meals a la carte- cluded in price of ticket; prompt and efficient service. Daint; staterooms, perfectly ventilated, commanding a view of sea and sky; wide decks for playing games — every facility for the enjoyment of a glorious out-of-door rest and vaca- tion, amid the scenes of romance and history in the Caribbean. And with it the opportunity to win for yourself a treasure of health and happiness, of greater benefit than the fabled fountain of youth, sought adventurers in the tropic isles of the Spanish Main. Cruises from 6 to 24 Days to CUBA, JAMAICA, PANAMA CANAL, CENTRAL and SOUTH AMERICA Sailing of GREAT WHITE FLEET Ships from New York every Wednesday and Saturday and fort- nightly on Fridays. Sailing from New Orleans every Wednesday, ‘Thursday and Saturday. Write for literature to: Passenger Department UNITED FRUIT COMPANY STEAMSHIP SERVICE 17 Battery Place New York September 28, . comicbooks.com