Life, 1923-05-24 · page 41 of 42
Life — May 24, 1923 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **subscription advertisement** for *Life* magazine, using Scottish humor and cultural stereotypes to appeal to readers. ## The Setup A cartoon depicts a Scottish father and son (identified by dialect and tartan clothing). The father offers his son a dollar for savings; the son responds that he'd laugh more if the father subscribed to *Life* magazine instead—suggesting the publication is so funny it's worth more than money. ## The Sales Pitch The ad leverages Scottish cultural identity ("Scotch mist," "sporran," "Clannishly yours") to create familiarity and humor. It offers **ten issues for one dollar**—an extraordinary value proposition, including special numbered editions (Commencement, Canadian, Fourth of July issues). ## The Joke The appeal to Scottish frugality is the core humor: the ad essentially says "You Scots are so cheap this deal will make you laugh despite your tightfisted nature." A sample letter from a satisfied subscriber reinforces this, claiming the purchase does "a lot of good." The closing phrase "Don't do us dirk" is a pun (Scottish dagger) warning readers not to reject this bargain.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Highland Father: Wullie, if I pit a dollar in yer wee bank, wud it mak ye laugh? Dour Youngster: Aye, Feyther; but if ye sent it in tae LIFE for a ten weeks’ subscreeption, *twould mak me laugh muckle harrrderrr! Hoot, Jock! It’s a Bargain! IG down into your sporran, cleave off the coupon—and, bang! goes another four shillings. We'll give you ten for one dollar—including and assuring: / The Commencement Number J The Canadian Number ra The Fourth of July Number Dear LIFE: Here’s my dollar for and seven other regular numbers of WA Gouin, Fae, Fok, LIFE that will bring a Scotch mist WA eecenea. know thisle do me to your eyes from laughing. All for ONE DOLLAR. Doesn’t that get you hot under the collie? Clannishly yours, / LIFE, 598 Madison Avenue, New York i 5 : Obey that impulse . . . “Don’t do us dirk. Se ins year, $5.00 (Casiidien, $5.80; Focelgn, $6.60). comicbooks.com