Life — January 18, 1917 — page 4: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 84 This is a **subscription advertisement** rather than editorial content. The page promotes Life magazine by playing on contemporary anxiety about **Prohibition** — the constitutional ban on alcohol (1920-1933). The satire works through a fake mystery: Life claims to possess "The Prohibition Number of Life" and promises to reveal whether Prohibition will encourage or discourage drinking. The publication teases readers that this "fatal truth" will solve the debate dividing the nation. The illustration shows a man dramatically clutching a cocktail glass, emphasizing the era's tension around illegal alcohol consumption. The appeal to "be a subscriber!" uses this manufactured intrigue to drive subscriptions, costing roughly five dollars annually. The postscript — "Don't do it if you don't want to" — adds ironic humor typical of Life's satirical tone.