Life, 1911-06-01 · page 46 of 52
Life — June 1, 1911 — page 46: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces about working women's economic precarity in early 20th-century America. **"Five Dollars a Week"** (left column) tells the story of Isabel Brooks, a young woman earning five dollars weekly as a department-store clerk. The narrative sardonically itemizes her expenses—rent, streetcar fare, food—demonstrating that her wages cannot cover basic necessities like clothing and medical care. The satire's target is the economic system forcing virtuous, hardworking women into impossible financial situations. The piece references "Beelzebub's books," implying that the devil himself records how poverty drives women toward moral compromise—a critique of how economic desperation threatens women's virtue. **"The Model"** (right column) humorously depicts a woman trying to impress a friend by claiming she's bought a car, revealing the absurdity of working-class women attempting to maintain appearances of wealth they cannot afford. Both pieces critique the inadequacy of women's wages and the social pressure to maintain respectability on impossible incomes. The page also contains period advertisements for camera lenses and lake steamers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
How in the world will she pay doctor's bills? What if she’s furloughed (there's always a chance) ; Isabel’ ought to save up in advance. Hold! We've not mentioned her clothes ; she must wear Dresses, hats, shocs, stockings, ribbons for hair— How did she get them? Suppose tha we stop; Perhaps it’s as well if we let the thins dre You good math'maticians may figure it out; I's a matter of figures or figure, no * doubt. i VV OULD you buy a musical instrument thai Carry this picture, it's Beles ty sure limited your range of execution? Then why wn, Bees pneeients mer rod’ icy i limit the scope of your camera when perfect re- Pot elects: Wesens We WOE LEY £0 ‘1 sec; production demands the use of a Beelzebub thinks much the same way as ch L- Why, at live! There’s a tear in his aus om eiss waa She ; make Beelzebub cry Surely the devil is fecling his JESSAR [E ENS Look what he’s writing on Isabel's "Virtue’s a luxury hard to afford For portraits, groups and landscapes, for the swiftest When a girl hasn't money cnough for things in motion, for the most perfect detail, for use in her board.” waning light when other lenses fail, the Tessar has no Herbert Kaufman, in Woman's World. equal. If you are an expert photographer, you will quickly appreciate the many qualities of the Tessa; ; if youarea beginner it will help you to greater wachievesentt: Book- The Model let M treots of better photography in an interesting man- e ner. Write for it to-day, ‘ adly lend you ten dollars, id Marrowby, “but really [um Our name, backed by over half a century of ex» usted, We've just moved out into the perience, ts on all our products—lenses, micro country, and I've had to buy a machine.” ‘scopes, field glasses, projection apparatus, en- : gineering and cther scientific instruments, “Really? Runabout or touring-ca asked Jones. Bausch @ lomb Optical @.) 88st “Ne NEW YORK WASHINGTON /CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO. LONDON ROCHESTER. NY. TRANKrORT Five Dollars a Week Thus it is down on Beelzebub's books : * August the seventeenth—Isabel_ Brooks ; Rlonde; splendid figure ; big, violet eyes; coloring; feet of small Home in the country; her parents quite poor ; Character excellent; morals still pure; ‘ame to the city to-day and found work ; Wages five dollars; department-store y | Eee eee clerk.” ¢ m Travel in Comfort Wages five dollars! To last seven days; ‘ c ' “The Water Way’’ Daily Service between Baffalo, Three for a miserable hall room she Detroit, Cleveland and Mackinac. pays; Ww Our ten large, palatial steamers ofera delightful method cf travel betweet Two nickels daily the street car receives: ¢ these nai otter penta on the Gscat Lakes, Saban woes. speed, air cones One dollar-forty for cating, that leaves. j ; Plan yout vecation ti this eat to ile d toa ced maple One-forty has such a long ways to . 4 steamers. Use them on business trips. reach Twenty-one banquets at seven cents cach. There! Every penny of wage has been d ; ; rect Pyeng coeneron nth taloods Tt spent— cities, peer eb Squandered for feasting and riding and write, i 2 cent stamp, to rent | : Me Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co. Spendihrift! She doesn’t remember ‘ 2 Wayne St., DETROIT, MICH. life's ills! PRilip H, MeMitlan, Pres, ife's ills! A. A, Shantz, € steamer. Information regarding ates