Life, 1908-09-17 · page 23 of 24
Life — September 17, 1908 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising with interspersed short humorous pieces** typical of early 20th-century Life magazine. The main visual element is a **Knapp-Felt hat advertisement** featuring a man in formal dress and top hat—a standard fashion ad of the era. The text pieces are brief satirical sketches: - **"Class Consciousness"**: A poem mocking social pretension. A man (Pilkins) buys a yellow automobile to show off, but a neighbor buys an even larger, faster yellow car, leaving Pilkins humiliated in the dust. The satire targets nouveau-riche car ownership and competitive status-seeking among the emerging automobile-owning class. - **"Might Have Hurt the Railroad"**: A humorous anecdote by writer Will Irwin about accidentally attacking a sleeping passenger, mistaking him for a train robber. - Other brief joke pieces about marital indulgence and horse training round out the page. The ads promote cigarettes, hats, cruises, and ammunition—reflecting early 1900s consumer culture. The satire is gentle, targeting middle-class social anxieties rather than political issues.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ae ep ele > ah , CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS It doesn’t matter Pilkins, full of petty hauteur, ss Bought a yellow auto motor; DI Ss how many brand Think of it—a yellow! of cigarettes you've And its tawdry tints bedizen : Half the world and its horizon; tried— How I hate the fellow! ,, ave nev For his pesky “honk” come bossing If you have never Every time T touch a crossing, smoked Imperiales And in automobilese, There's no honk for “If you please.” art,’ Cigarettes you have i . So I (by financial rigor) missed the most dis- Kought a yellower and bigger— we . Faster, also, when it pleases, tinctive and satisfy- And the chap who used to blind me . . Wallows in the dust behind me; warette , ing cigarette of He's the fellow now who sneezes! mploy of as them all. And my “honk!” is quite as raucous 10 metas In the automobile caucus, Instructions So I wave my hand and bow 1 Quite politely to him now. S98 a fave ‘em (P. S—Why do people visit cratic Tee On a cross walk? why is it?) ivenian Hone, Conpenton When Snipe are ” ‘ ALexanpee cried because there were no more 1 be into a hal are mild, full and satisfying. They are Woflds to conquer, He never thouaht ‘about ‘Africa, F ying ae of an unusual blend of the finest to- The Commonweal. p = Ties Rolled in thin, pure mais paper when you are after game is not pasted, but crimped. Eac' MIGHT HAVE HURT THE RAILROAD cf any kind, or when you po Impcriales has a mouth-piece to cool the Will Irwin, the writer, tells this one on himself: : “ Riding recently in a parlor car, I fell asleep, are shooting at the traps, and that sr ou will never tire of Imperiales—can amed that I gas heloe atiocked § 7 reamed hat was be cked by a band of 7 De ke them all day long with xo after a robberk Springing tomy fect, I leaped upon you must havea good pow effects. Ask your dealer, or send us a the ngaren roller, grasped bi apound tbe ecki.an der if you want results. trial order, proceeded to pommel him. Suddenly awakening, 1 | If you do want results was covered with confusion, realizing that I was as- f 10c for 10 saulting an inoffensive passenger of Hebrew extrac- -specify any one of our tion, Twas attempting to stammer out my apolo- Brands. THE JOHN BOLLMAN CO., Mfr. gies, wh ing grin. 5 That's all right,’ he responded, ‘it didn't hurt San Francisco, Cal. But, he fidential whisper, ‘if had hurt do you think T could have got mages from the railroad company Success. n he interrupted me with a cunr The first Derby made in America was C&K. OVERINDULGENT “T have such an indulgent husband,” said little ‘oe orge says.” responded Mrs. Spiteful Shotgun Smokeless un Smokeless Yes, $0 “Sometimes indulges a little too much, doesn’t he?” BUFONT IY Tit-Bits, ; HAZARD NEW SCHULTZE” WELL TRAINED “NEW EC. (Improved)’ A number of jockeys and horses had lined up for . the start of a steeplechase, but a delay occurred be- Black Sporting Powders cause a tall raw-boned beast obstinately refused to DCRR STORTING: importunities of the starter. The pa Une eine tience of that worthy was nearly exhausted. “ Bring 2 2 up that horse! he shouted; “bring him up! You'll DU PONT Sioa get into trouble pretty soon if you don't!” The E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS rider of the stupid animal, a youthful Irishman, POWDER COMPANY yelled back, “I can't help it! This here's been a | as cab horse, and he won't start till the door shuts, an” Wilmington, Del. I ain't got no door! "—Harper's Weekly. yield to the and fauh- to-night,” by putting OUR will interest | you — Fac. A MODERN CRITIC OFFER SiMiles of | Portraits “of Winners of Nationa Huspano (after the theater): “Well, how do you ampionships. Write Dept. like the piece? " Yont Co. Wilmington, Del. Wire: “Very much. There's only one improba- ble thing in it, The second act takes place two years efter the first, and they have the same servant."— Pittsburg Observer. MEN OF BRAINS . “You can't have eggs for sup; answered the are Six Dollars — Knapp-Felts landlord of the Plunkville House, “because an affix. are Four Dollars, everywhere. ity gentleman is going to lecture on affinities at the ‘Wem lor “The Hatman™ io ao to-night. I presume you have some public Tur Crorur & KNAPP Co. He had.—Southtwestern’s Book. BROADWAY, AT THIRTEENTH ST., NEW YORK | THE SUBURBAN CLUB LINEN PLAYING CARDS Clark’s Cruises ,°* “Arabic” Kwicxex: “The Olympic runners have done some **Am Idea! Bridge Card."* Design of back, hemstitched linen, pat. the tons record wor Sept 24,07. Colors Red, Blue, Brown, Green. 25cents per pack 10, Feb. 5, "10, Cruises Round Susmuns: “But I notice they didn’t ran with a old edge 38 cents. Dealers everywhere or seat postpaid on receipt of ‘ : ape tes ata ena heed and he ieeece ric. Hlastrated catalog of Bridge neremories tree, Address Dept. L. 08, Round the World. Suppot sconces inyone, hand tnd a i.ureaktast, roll snd. Radcliffe & Co., Sew York.144 Pearl St.,& London, E.G a bear st q Feb.4, Orient; Oct. 16, the World, Fall Tours, F.C. CLARK,. ‘Times Building, New York the paper in the other."—N. Y. Sun, comicbooks.co