Life, 1910-04-07 · page 21 of 76
Life — April 7, 1910 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct pieces of early 20th-century social humor: **"Stays in Town"** mocks fashionable women's tight corsetry. A wealthy woman claims she's economized by selling her country estate, yet admits she literally cannot sit down due to her restrictively cinched corset—suggesting her fashion obsession is absurdly impractical and financially ruinous. **"A Sail of Ladies' Underwear"** is a brief comic dialogue where a man leaves for pleasure while his wife cannot pursue him because all servants have departed and she cannot fasten her corset without help—again satirizing women's complete dependence on both servants and restrictive garments. **"Evolution of the Princess Gown"** shows four silhouettes demonstrating how women's fashion increasingly narrowed and elongated the female form over time. The recurring joke across all three pieces targets the absurdity of fashionable corsetry that literally immobilizes women, rendering them helpless without servants. The satire critiques both the fashion industry's control over women and the social structures that enabled such impractical dress codes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘EL PE Stays in Town STYLISH woman, as she donned Her corset long and slim, Remarked: “I have economized Because of Fashion's whim, For I have sold my country place And now remain in town. I do not need a country-seat, Because I can't sit down.’* Fanny Byrne. DEPARTMENT STORE NEWS A SAIL OF LADIES’ UNDERWEAR Safe ARKE: Come on, old man, I am going on a week's pleasure excursion. Don't care what I do. Lane: But aren't you afraid that your wife will get after you? “She can't. The servants have all left, and there is no one in the house to button her up.” “ Kiss me quick,” the maiden cried; he man said: “I'll do that.” * Kiss me quick.” the maid replied, EVOLUTION OF THE PRINCESS GOWN “Ts the name of my new hat.” comicbooks.com