Life, 1923-08-09 · page 35 of 36
Life — August 9, 1923 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical advertisement for *Life* magazine disguised as a superstition-based promotion. The page mocks both superstition and the magazine's own desperation for subscribers. The central joke plays on the "dollar sign" as a lucky symbol—but the actual luck being promised is simply receiving ten weeks of the magazine. Readers are instructed to mail a dollar bill (written on with fountain pen) to the magazine's address, playing into superstitious rituals (choosing the right night, awaiting "manifestations"). The illustration shows a figure performing a "hoodoo" ritual with a crystal ball, satirizing mystical beliefs. A sidebar advertisement for "charmed LIFES" reinforces the mockery, referencing both spiritual practices and the magazine's name. The satire targets gullible readers attracted to superstition while simultaneously poking fun at magazine subscription tactics—essentially equating them with magical thinking. The piece uses period-appropriate references to mysticism and numerology to create humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS? HERE’S A SIGN YOU CAN BELIEVE IN It’s known as the DOLLAR SIGN, and one of them means Ten Weeks of LIFE for you. Could anything be luckier? To is how it works: Choose some night, possibly to-night when there is a slight dullness in the atmosphere at home. Peel a dollar from your wallet, and write your name and ad- dress with the juice of a fountain pen on the coupon with the dotty- looking lines. (You must find the coupon for yourself, however.) Pe Take the bill and billet and place them together in a stamped en- velope addressed to the 15th Floor, 598 Madison Ave., N. Y. City. Then mail the result, and await developments. Manifestations should occur on a Thursday about three weeks later,and continue weekly there- after for TEN weeks. Don’t be nervous—do as the Impulse directs! I : it : | I X, x N Swami LIFE, 7 598 Madison 7 Ave., New York. Hoodoo? y 7. Dear Old Swastika — YOU DO! 7 Please take this $ into 7 theInner Temple, and buy /_ some charmed LIFES for me. (Canadian, $2.20; Foreign, $1.40.) LEE LE LIFE, 598 Madison Avenue, New York 7 One Year, $5.00. (Canadian, $5.80; Foreign, $6.60) - — ‘tt ASE aOls TRS SS SSS SS SSS SSS SS SSS SS) comicbooks.com