Life, 1901-09-19 · page 15 of 20
Life — September 19, 1901 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a portrait illustration of a young woman in early 20th-century dress (high collar, fitted bodice with flowers) paired with a romantic poem by Tom Masson. The poem is a **complimentary tribute to modern womanhood**, suggesting that countless ancestral generations have labored to produce this particular refined young woman. The speaker marvels at her "calmly serious face" and declares their ancestors' efforts worthwhile—framing her existence as the culmination of human progress. Rather than satire, this appears to be **sincere sentimental verse** celebrating contemporary femininity and women's evolution. It reflects early 1900s attitudes romanticizing women as the refined product of civilization itself, though modern readers might find the paternalistic tone—crediting male ancestry for creating her—revealing of period gender assumptions. The elegant illustration and serious tone suggest *Life* magazine was showcasing quality poetry alongside its humor content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
To a Modern Maid. ARO URAND din ancestral beings, nay, A thousand thousand more, and who shall say How many more than these, have trod this sphere To make you what you are to-day, my dear. And yet I count it not too much, when I Your calmly serious face to fathom try, Nor think the sacrifice too great to tell— They've done their work so wisely and so well! Tom Masson.