Life — January 20, 1921 — page 31: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a **full-page advertisement**, not editorial content or satire. It advertises the Munson Lines shipping company, promoting tropical cruises to South American ports (Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Buenos Aires). The ad uses a famous Shakespeare quote from *Richard III* ("Now is the winter of our discontent") to suggest that a tropical voyage can cure winter blues. The image shows two silhouetted figures gazing at a ship through a window, implying escape from cold northern winters. The ad mentions "Palatial Steamers of the U.S. Shipping Board," indicating post-WWI American maritime commerce. This represents early 20th-century luxury travel marketing targeting wealthy readers of *Life* magazine—positioning exotic cruises as a remedy for seasonal depression and cold-weather malaise.