Judge, 1925-11-07 · page 4 of 36
Judge — November 7, 1925 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Night Life of Paris—So's your old hommel" This page satirizes American tourists in 1920s Paris. The top cartoon depicts wealthy Americans at fashionable Parisian venues (the Folies Bergère, Crillon and Ritz hotels, nightclubs) engaging in excessive behavior—drinking, flirting, and generally carousing. The accompanying poem mocks both French culture and Americans' superficial appreciation of it, suggesting they conflate Paris with vice and indulgence. The text below criticizes American tourists for being loud and rowdy, implying they embarrass themselves abroad. The central illustration "La V Parisienne" (The Parisian Woman) appears to mock French women or French aesthetics that fascinated Americans. The overall message: American visitors reduce Paris to stereotypical hedonism rather than appreciating genuine culture—a common criticism of "ugly American" tourists.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Charity Begins— T= Folies Bergere, Toujours laissez faire, Beelzebub’s lair— That’s Paris! The bankroll that flits, The Crillon and Ritz, The Latin two bits— That’s Paris! The Rue de la Paix, The Louvre, Versailles, Blest absinthe and rye— That’s Paris! The essence of living, Philandering, flivving, Eternal Thanksgiving— That’s Paris! Tis all very well French praises to yell; But for unvarnished Hell— See America First! Roswell J. Powers SIS It’s easy to tell an American who’s been in France only a few hours: he’s willing to trade the American ““Mak- ings” for a full pack of French THE NIGHT LIFE OF PARIS— So’s your old homme! cigarettes. Ia V Parisienne. 2 * side because they wish to meet the So This Is Paris! Te café is an institution in Paris. Many cafés are so popular that tables are set out on the sidewalks in order to accommodate the overflow. The proprietors have tables put out- customers half way. They realize that the American visitor is gener- ally so thirsty when he reaches Paris that he can hardly wait until he gets inside for a drink. The traffic is heavy in the streets of Paris. but the French are quick at crossing streets. To get run over or knocked down by a vehicle is a misdemeanor. We could never have that system in America—the court calendars are too crowded as it is. The Seine River runs right through Paris, especially at high tide.” It sometimes rises so much that many streets are inundated. The French high heel was invented so that the women of Paris wouldn’t get their feet wet during the flood season. R. C. O’Brien FIs If Paris hotel clerks refused to register all Americans who walk in and shout, “Well! Well! So this is Paris?” the hotels would be vacant. comicbooks.com