Life, 1911-06-15 · page 12 of 44
Life — June 15, 1911 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon (top):** "One Danger of Picnicking in a Red Auto" This satirical illustration depicts a rural picnic scene where a cow has apparently wandered into or near the group's picnic setup beside a parked red automobile. The humor lies in the juxtaposition of modern motorcar leisure culture with unpredictable rural hazards—the cow representing the unpredictability of countryside adventures for city dwellers unfamiliar with farm animals. **Secondary Illustrations (bottom right):** Titled "Mornings & Evenings," these appear to show domestic scenes of someone (likely a woman) preparing or grooming herself, with the caption "My Dear, Why Don't You Make Yourself Presentable"—satirizing social expectations around appearance and domestic behavior in the early 20th century. The page satirizes both automotive-era leisure activities and gender/domestic expectations of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ONE DANGER OF PICNICKING IN A RED AUTO harem skirt effect, but that will not do. We can't have the King stumbling as he goes up the aisle. He must be free to act naturally. As I sce it at present, the King’s coro- nation robe will be of pure white satin, Hoon effect, with purple belt, giving a rather jaunty air to an otherwise dig- nified apparel. The tendency at coronations is to be too sad. Nobody gives a hearty laugh now and then to cheer up the per- formers. I spent the morning going over the crown and Kohinoor, both of which haven't been cleaned for years. While I was doing it, the Archbishop came in and complained that the cere- mony was going to be performed by Parkhurst, who, as he stated, did not represent the church, but Hearst. He said he thought the Church of England ought to be represented. “Nonsense!” I replied. “You wait; you don’t know how well Parkhurst does this sort of thing. Why, he has been rehearsing it with Arthur Brisbane comicbooks.com