Life, 1909-03-11 · page 21 of 36
Life — March 11, 1909 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the early 1900s fashion craze for "classic lines" and the extremely tight-fitting "Directoire" or "sheath" dress style. The illustration shows a woman so severely corseted she appears nearly skeletal, attended by fashionable onlookers. The satire mocks the absurdity of this trend: women are literally suffocating themselves—"laced 'most to death"—to achieve a fashionably slim silhouette. The poem by Carolyn Wells emphasizes the physical cost ("may stop one's breathing") while sarcastically celebrating that "one is well-dressed." The cartoon warns that if this "craze for 'classic lines'" continues, women will waste away to nothing. It's social commentary on how fashion standards override health and common sense, with women sacrificing their bodies for appearance. The tone is darkly humorous but genuinely concerned about women's wellbeing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
O NE more unfortunate Gasping for breath! Rashly importunate, Laced 'most to death. Gaze at her tenderly, Dressed with such care; Fashioned so slenderly, By corsetiére. Look at her garments Clinging like cerements, Judge her not scornfully, Think of her mournfully, WHAT WE MAY EXPECT IP THE CRAZE FOR “ CLASSIC LINES ’’ CONTINUES ‘ie Sheath of Sighs Gently and humanly; Not of the heft of her All that is left of her Now is pure womanly. Oh, to what meagreness May a plump body come! Banking with eagerness Left but a modicum. See those silk slips of hers Clinging so lovingly One might say, glovingly, Sheathing those hips of hers. See her soft tresses Escaped from the comb; Her fair golden tresses While wonderment guesses Whose head they're from. She is dressed rightly, No matter how tightly Her heart is compressed. “Directoire sheathing May stop one’s breathing, But one is well-dressed ! —Carolyn Wells. comicbooks.com