Life — December 25, 1924 — page 2: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Charge of the LIFE Brigade" This is a subscription advertisement for *Life* magazine, priced at $5.00 annually for 1925. The cartoon depicts a demonic figure labeled "Gloom" being attacked by a brigade of cherubs—representing *Life*'s comedic content. The satire promises that the magazine will "rout the forces of depression" fifty-two times yearly through humor: "smiles, grins, chuckles and loud, long laughs." The phrase "Charge of the LIFE Brigade" puns on the famous poem "Charge of the Light Brigade," suggesting *Life*'s cheerful assault on melancholy. The advertisement emphasizes that for five dollars, subscribers receive guaranteed entertainment—positioning humor as a valuable service against contemporary gloom, likely referencing post-WWI cultural concerns or economic uncertainty in 1920s America.