Life — September 4, 1902 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 191 The top cartoon advertises Massachusetts as a destination for unmarried men and women seeking partners. It's a tongue-in-cheek recruitment pitch: men looking for wives, single women wanting to "trade," and divorcees will find abundant options in Boston, humorously compared to "Whitcomb Riley pumpkins with the frost on." The lower section contains two distinct pieces: "The Call" discusses historical calling customs and social etiquette around telephone calls and visiting cards, satirizing the elaborate social rules governing domestic life. "Rule for Success" features a brief interview where a businessman credits his success to buying items cheaply and reselling them at higher markups—a straightforward but amusing economic principle presented as business wisdom.