Life, 1911-08-17 · page 31 of 40
Life — August 17, 1911 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not political satire. The dominant content is a full-page Gillette Safety Razor advertisement (center-right) promoting "Shaving Comfort" with product imagery and sales copy. The left side contains a **book review in verse** by Arthur Guiterman of Mary S. Watts's novel *The Legacy*. The review summarizes a romantic plot: a woman named Letty Breen overcomes family shame, marries a kind man (Jack), attracts wealthy suitors (Daniel Webster Gates, later Jim), but ultimately proves emotionally cold—described as "a very chilly proposition." Below is a smaller ad for **Paris Garters** ("The Choice of the Tennis Court"), a men's garter product. The page reflects early 1910s concerns: **family honor and hereditary morality** (the book's theme of overcoming ancestral "imperfections"), **women's romantic choices** in an era of expanding female agency, and the growing market for **male grooming products** as consumer goods. No specific political figures or events are referenced. This is a typical Life magazine page blending literary criticism with period advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
vat 2 yean ods and putation hild, to admaster -LIFE: Rhymed Reviews The Legacy (By Mary S. Watts, The Macnsiilon Company) Since all the Breens though poor are proud, "Tis not considered wholly decent Among the clan to’ speak out loud Of sundry Breens, remote and recent As Time revealed to Letty Breen, Her Grandpapa was weak though ghty 5 Her father's hands were far from clean, Her father’s Grandmama was naughty. So, down through page three-nincty-four She disciplines her soul in sections, To rise at last triumphant o'er Hereditary imperfections. She married gentle Mr. Jack But held hers A kindly, figure-adding hack, She liked him well, but could not love him ve him— Then up came Daniel Webster Gates, A millionaire and man of fashion, Who gave her gloves and sweets in crates And ardently declared his passion. Though Letty thought him rather nice, She did not actively abet him; But when he kissed her once or twice, Well, most politely, Letty let him. PARIS GARTERS the Tennis Court $500 Everyliene Note the curve that gives the automatic adjustment Shaving Comfort Gillette ss The STANDARD of SAFETY. EASE aa COMFORT A razor 1s not bought for a day, but for a lifetime of use. Daily comfort should there- fore be considered as an economical factor. A comfortable shave is a safe shave, clean, quick, soothing and satisfying. The GILLETTE lasts a lifetime and is the only razor that insures you a comfortable shave—because it is the | simplest and strongest razor made and the only adjustable razor. You simply adjust it for a light or close shave | or a tender skin—and shave. No delay, no stropping nor honing and no irritation, Send postal for our free 1911 Baseball or Golf Booklet GILLETTE SALES COMPANY Ask your dealer to show you the GILLETTE Line. 4t West Second Street : BOSTON, Mass. NO STROPPING ~ NO HONING Usmediant Oiess 3 Se hans Factories: Boston, Montreal, Leicester, Berlin, Pari Combination and Travelers’ Sets, $6.00 to $50.00. “If it’s a Gilletle—it’s The Safety Razor."* WORLD OVER Now Jim, another millionaire, Who calls his little daughter “ Kiddo,” but square, But, just in time, her husband fell And sprained his dear old cerebellum, And Letty nursed him just as well As though she held a doctor's vellum Her childhood’s lover, ro Appears and weds the charming widow The tale is lit with clever g And well fulfills the writer's mission ; To pay the bills she kept a store; Yet even after death bereft her Of Jack and Gates, she still forbore But, on the level, Letty seems To take some thousands Gates had left A very chilly proposition. her. Arthur Guiterman comicbooks.com