Life, 1920-01-01 · page 44 of 48
Life — January 1, 1920 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is an advertisement *for advertising itself*—a meta-promotional piece by *Life* magazine's advertising department. Rather than selling a product, it argues for the value of reading advertisements. The piece makes several claims designed to legitimize advertising as beneficial: ads keep readers "in touch with the world's progress," reveal new comforts, help consumers save money, prevent fraud, and serve as "guide-posts to better buying." This reflects early-20th-century advertising's struggle for cultural legitimacy. Ads were still viewed with some suspicion by the public, so *Life* needed to convince readers that advertisements themselves deserved attention and trust. The rhetorical strategy—repeating "Don't miss the advertisements"—suggests this was a genuine concern that required persuasion rather than assumption. The page appears earnest rather than satirical, positioning *Life* as an advocate for consumer information and progress.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
~ Advertising Advertising This is an advertisement. Not a very long one, to be sure, but an advertisement. It has a most unusual purpose—to adver- tise advertising. The message is this:— Don’t miss the advertisements. They make good reading just from the news and educational standpoint alone. But more than that:— Advertisements keep you in touch with the world’s progress. They point the path to comforts that were unknown in the old days. They help you-to save. They protect you from fraud. Don’t miss the advertisements. They are guide-posts to better buying. Gee. Bee. Are. LIFE’S Advertising Manager, 31st St., West, No. 17, New York B. F. Provandie, Western Mgr., Marquette Bldg., 1537, Chicago ‘PETER J. CAREY, PRINTER comicbooks.com