Life, 1910-07-21 · page 26 of 40
Life — July 21, 1910 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This sketch satirizes the hypocrisy of wealthy dieting socialites. A well-dressed couple, both claiming to be on strict doctor-supervised diets, meet at an upscale restaurant (the Saint Anthony's palm room). They discuss their deprivations—no tomatoes, potatoes, sweets, bread—imposed by "Doctor Jollyem's" regimen. However, the satire's punch lies in their immediate contradiction: despite these restrictions, they proceed to order caviar, sherry (which he claims is "medicinal"), salted toast, and vegetables with olives. The humor captures the gap between their professed sacrifice and actual indulgence. The drawing style and setting suggest early 20th-century American affluence. The joke mocks how the wealthy use doctors' authority to justify their dietary choices while maintaining luxurious consumption—a critique of both vanity dieting and the pretense of self-discipline among the leisure class.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
eager ne iN Re an SCENEXThe corner of a palm-room in the Saint Anthony. Time—Luncheon Persons—He. and Sur. Tired-looking and well-dressed. The band is playing violently as they enter. She sinks w ily on a gold-backed chair and says: “LT don't know what we are sitting down here for. I'm not feeling a bit fit Besides, I’m on a diet.”” He: So'm I. Beastly bore—ch—what? Let's break training and have mince pic and things. Sux: Ha—ha—ha! Sorry, but I can't, old chap. I’m feeling terribly low in my mind. Doctor Jollyem’s get- ting off a pound a week. I eat like a bird “LEAT LIke A BIRD’? Two on a Diet He: Haw—haw—haw! That's droll. I have Jollyem, too. Is it the ten-day treatment? He started me last week. I'm markin’ off the days on the calendar like a prisoner. Sux: Ha—ha—ha! Not bantin you—no? What are you in for? He: Too much bally acid. All we fel- Jews at the club have it. Sy Poor boy! No tomatoes—no beef—no potatocs—no sweets. Isn't that it? He (moodily): If you want the brutal truth, I’m supposed to live on pruncs and spinach, Sue: Ha—ha—ha! He (crossly): Fearfully funny, isn’t it? Business of laughter and all that are Let's have some of this caviar—yes? Waiter, some caviar and—eh—some sherry and bitters. Sue (hesitating): Isn't sherry rather —well He (quickly): Not this pale sherry. It's a special brand. Medicinal, really. I don't like it at all—but it’s good for invalids. . Snes I have saccharin instead of su- gar, and no bread—toast. He (calling): Waiter! 1 say—man! Some toast with the caviar—and salted gly): Yes, they're vege- tarian—and olive He: We'll have to patch out some sort of a meal, somehow, comicbooks.com