Life, 1911-04-06 · page 34 of 76
Life — April 6, 1911 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct pieces of satire: **"The Springtime of Life" (illustrated cartoon):** A commentary on fashion and physical ideals. The text celebrates modern women's fashion for its simplicity and elegance, contrasting it with classical ideals. The cartoon depicts a woman in contemporary dress alongside a camel—likely mocking the exaggerated, ungainly silhouettes that fashion sometimes creates, or suggesting the absurdity of following fashion trends uncritically. **"Crowding to a Coronation":** Satirizes American eagerness to spend lavishly on King George's coronation (1911). The piece mocks the estimated 100,000 Americans planning to travel to London and spend $25 million, sarcastically noting they'd likely go to Europe anyway—the coronation merely provides convenient timing. The underlying jab: Americans who rejected the British monarchy in 1776 now eagerly flock to celebrate it, suggesting shallow materialism and loss of principle among the wealthy. **Brief dialogue at bottom:** A joke about a man's "bravery" being known only to his wife—implying domestic cowardice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
678 selves to grow fat and unpleasant is not the fault of the fashions. The Greeks loved beauty too loyally to hand down any grotesques of their race, but they had their sins. No doubt they had their heavyweights as well. Apollo, with a large waist line and a triple chin, would be as impossible as a corner grocer. It is simply a matter of training. Not one of our champion boxing clubmen but could don the classic togs and make good. We do not dwell in groves or tread” the gods’ rialto. The sandal may be hygienic from a chiropodean point of view, but there is a nice reserve about a pump and a silk stocking that can be pitted confidently against all the historic feet that might be lined up apart from the noble legs they originally upheld The white canvas shoe with its rubber sole is the very epitome of art. Mer- cury might have worn it to advantage. Sculptors give their carved men and women beautiful toes, but the toc in the abstract is lacking in distinction. Sen- timent is all that makes even a baby’s foot beautiful. Du Maurier raved over Trilby’s foot because he saw it h the clair-audient cye of the impressionist Our fashions leave something to be imagined. They are subtle. “ CONSIDER THE LILIES.” The dress of man, not so much as that of women—for the reason that man, as yet, is not forced to subtlety. If the Suffrage age dawns he may have to take to baby ribbon and open work effects in his shirts. Our magnificent Easter gods and our snaky satin goddesses are fit cnough to pat on coins, The feminine slitheriness of the up-to-date means climination Elimination means simplicity. The new THE spRin art is getting into our gowns. Urnless and unpedestaled, we are still sublime. Our chariots have rubber tires and no speed limit. We send wireless kisses to our friends at sea and skim the milky way in winged rocking chairs. We are the gods! Make way! The old Olym- pian bunch will serve to decorate our lawns and sunken gardens. After all, their great specialty was posing. Pos- sibly they did nothing quite so well. They will never tell us. They have the gift of silence. Kate Masterson. Crowding to a Coronation CCORDING to current estimates, 100,000 Americans are going to London to see the coronation of King George, and will spend $25,000,000 on the show. Very likely! But the money estimate It allows them only $250 apiece The hundred is low. for coronation expenses. Rebt L.Dickeyr.20 IME OF LIFE thousand would be going to Europe any- way. This coronation catches them be- cause it comes along at a convenient time and is an improving historical pag- cant put on the street at great expense and well worth looking at. How many of us there seem to be, nowadays, who have money to throw around, and who take a lively interest in any big - entertainment that our friends and cousins in London offer! Suppose it hadn't happened as it did in 1776 and the ensuing years, would more or less of us be going to that show? Or would it, in that case, have been found more suitable and convenient to have this interesting pageant in New York? Rae Has a reputation for bravery, has he? Rocers: Yes, with everyone who has scen his wife. comicbooks.com