Life, 1917-01-11 · page 36 of 38
Life — January 11, 1917 — page 36: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two advertisements and editorial commentary about magazine criticism. **The Cook's Imperial Champagne ad** (left) uses a simple visual joke: a man holds a champagne bottle labeled with the brand name, which also reads as "CORKS"—the bottle's contents literally "pop and fly when Cook's is opened." **The Vogue price-increase announcement** (right) dominates the page. Vogue is raising its subscription price from $4 to $5 yearly, effective February 15th. The pitch argues this isn't extravagance but economy: the magazine's fashion advice supposedly saves subscribers $400 annually by preventing costly clothing mistakes. At $5/year for 24 bimonthly issues, Vogue claims better value than competitors like *Century* or *Harper's* at $4/year for 12 issues. **The editorial text** above discusses *Life* magazine's critical approach, defending its satirical attacks on the wealthy and powerful while acknowledging criticism that it focuses excessively on society's flaws rather than virtues. The advertisements reflect early 20th-century luxury marketing to affluent readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Corks pop and fly when Cook's is opened. Every bot- tle is a storage bat- tery of eager and abundant life, grape vigor and fragrant deliciousness. Sold Everywhere— Served Everywhere AMERICAN WINE Co. St. Louts, U.S. A. Life's Contest in Criticism (Continued from page 68) has been the subject of many severe jabs from Lire, and yet the side of the surgeons has not been presented. They could doubtless present a very good alibi against the charges of Lire, or at least one that would tend to soften the judgment of the public. Only the evil side of this matter has been pre- sented, Lire is sometimes very hard upon the rich, They are depicted as being selfish and undeserving of public esteem, Their hides are taken off in nearly every issue of Lire and their very worst side is exposed to a public that is ever ready to crucify. A great publication ought to be able to always find more merit in humanity than evil. All of us are supposed to possess some good. Total depravity is not supposed to exist. The grist of skeletons that are exposed in the police and the divorce courts is more than the daily newspapers care to carry, and yet they are always secking some good in humanity and occasionally bringing it to the attention of the public. Lire is too big to be little in any- thing. If it should withhold the lash to a small ent and seek more for pleasant things to say about the mor- tals on earth, it would harvest smiles in place of frowns and lose nothing of its great popularity. VOGUE Will Raise its Price to $5 The present rate of $4 holds good until February 15th Owing to the tremendous increase in the cost of paper, labor and materials, Vogue—rather than lower its stand- ard of production in the slightest degree—will raise its price on February 15th, from $4 a year to $5. Vogue is not an extravagance as mere fiction magazines are. It is an economy, rather. Its advance fashion infor- mation and authoritative advice insure you against “clothes mistakes” and save you many times its subscription price. $4 invested in Vogue atiny fraction of your loss on a single ill-chosen hat or gown will save you $400 The gown you buy and never wear is the really expensive gown. Gloves, boots, hats, that miss being exactly what you want are the ones that cost more than you can afford. Consider, then, that for $4—and $4 surely is a tiny frac- tion of your loss on a single ill-chosen hat or gown—you may have before you throughout the whole year this world-wide fashion authority, thereby insuring the correct- ness of your gowning and saving you from costly mistakes. 24 Issues for $4 Ewen at the $5 price, Vogue will continue to be the least costly per copy of all the American “‘class™ magazines appealing to people of taste, Vogue is published twice a month, giving you 24 issues a year, instead of the usual 12. Thus you spend $5 for 12 tssues of Country Life, or the International Studio; $4 for 12 issues of Century, Harper's or The Atlantic Monthly; but you spend at the rate of only $2.50 for every 12 issues of Vogue. And if you ‘| take advantage of this Last Chance Offer of $4 fora year of Vogue, 24 issues, you spend at the rate of only $2 for 12 issues of Vogue. VOGUE CONDE NAST, Publisher EDNA WOOLMAN CHASE, Editor $4 Now—$5 Later Te take advantage of this Last Chance Offer to secure Vogue at $4 a year, your order must be in the mail by midnight of February 15th; after that date, Vogue will cost you $5. Don’t bother to send money now, unless you wish. Just fill in and send in the coupon. A bill will be sent you in due course. Last chance to enter your subscrip- tion at the comicbooks.com