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ORIGINAL JULY 11, 1918 LIFE MAGAZINE – “NAVY NUMBER” – WORLD WAR IOffered is an original July 11, 1918 issue of LIFE Magazine, published during the final year of World War I and more than a century ago.This special “NAVY NUMBER” features the striking full-color cover “The Lost Man of War” by noted American illustrator Paul Stahr (1883–1953). The National Museum of American Illustration specifically documents Stahr’s original artwork as the cover created for the July 11, 1918 issue of LIFE. The cover depicts a young serviceman enjoying tea while seated between two fashionable young women—a lighthearted piece of wartime Americana contrasting military service with life back home.Inside are original period articles, illustrations and advertisements, including a beautiful full-page Adams California Fruit Gum / American Chicle Company advertisement featuring renowned dancer Ruth St. Denis. Period ephemera references also document a 1918 Adams chewing-gum advertisement featuring St. Denis. This is the original 1918 publication, not a modern reproduction or decorative reprint.Historical significance: This issue was published while American forces were actively engaged in World War I and only four months before the November 11, 1918 Armistice. Paul Stahr contributed artwork supporting the American war effort, including imagery associated with Liberty Loans, the Red Cross, National Defense and the U.S. Food Administration. ConditionAntique pre-owned condition with significant age-related wear.This magazine is over 108 years old and shows expected evidence of age, handling and storage. Visible wear includes toning/yellowing, staining and discoloration, edge and corner wear, creases, wrinkles, small tears, chips/losses along portions of the edges, surface marks and other age-related imperfections.The illustrated cover remains colorful and highly displayable, with the LIFE masthead, “NAVY NUMBER” heading and Paul Stahr artwork readily identifiable. The July 11, 1918 date remains clearly visible.Currently housed in a protective plastic sleeve. The sleeve is modern and shows wrinkles/reflections in the photographs; it is not original to the magazine.No cleaning or restoration has been attempted. Please review all photographs carefully for exact condition and completeness. Buyer will receive the exact magazine pictured.Selling Point to the BuyerThis isn’t simply an old magazine—it’s an original piece of American World War I-era popular culture that has survived for more than a century.It combines several desirable collecting areas in one artifact: WWI and U.S. Navy history, early LIFE Magazine, Paul Stahr illustration art, antique advertising, American Chicle/Adams Gum memorabilia, Ruth St. Denis and early-20th-century Americana.Most importantly, the cover isn’t an unidentified period illustration. “The Lost Man of War” is a documented Paul Stahr work specifically created for LIFE’s July 11, 1918 cover, and the original artwork itself is recognized by the National Museum of American Illustration. For a collector, it offers something a reproduction cannot: an actual publication produced and read while World War I was still being fought.
