Life, 1912-03-07 · page 16 of 60
Life — March 7, 1912 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1910s *Life* magazine page satirizes masculine obliviousness to fashion. A son announces his engagement to "Sweet Tessie McCourt," but when his mother questions him about her appearance—her dress, hair, hat style—he cannot provide specifics, using vague phrases like "a thing-a-ma-jig" and "doo-daddish stunt." The satire targets men's perceived indifference to women's elaborate clothing and fashion details, which the era considered vitally important. The footnotes mock this gap: the mother's cryptic questions likely reference specific, expensive fashions (a "$900" hat trimmed with bird-of-paradise feathers), while the son notices only her brown eyes. The accompanying fashion illustrations (numbered 1-4) show actual "Early Spring Styles" with elaborate hats and trimmings—emphasizing the complexity men supposedly ignore. The closing quote from Wallace Irwin drives the point home: men's hearts know "what it likes" but nothing of "Art"—meaning they lack appreciation for fashion's sophistication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
474 Ballad of Masculine Observation “Q MOTHER o' mine, I’ve come to report. I'm going to marry Sweet Tessie McCourt.” “©O son o’ my heart, Ere your darling I bless, Pray, answer this question: Now how does she dress?” “Like the bloom on the peach And the stars o’ the night. In commonplace words, She’s a bit of all right.” “O be more specific, My son and my heir. Pray, tell me the way That she does up her hair.” “Oh, it’s scrambled around In a wonderful pile, With a thing-a-ma-jig Of a what's its name style.” * “ But boy of my soul, Do tell me some more. Pray, what was the fashion Of gown that she wore?” “*'Twas one o’ those things All fussed up and down.f I don’t know the color. (Her eyes, though, are brown.)” “ Perhaps you can tell The style of her hat. What trick of design Did you note about that?” “T don’t know the shape, But I think up in front It was prettily trimmed With a doo-daddish stunt.” ¢ “Oh, son, I’m afraid!” The mother did cry. “ Don’t worry—she’s mine!” Said the hopeful. ‘‘ Good-by!” * Doubtless. meaning the fashionable Juliet knot, worn with bandeau of pink liberty. silk. t Probably indicating an evening toilette of yellow satin charmeuse with angel sleeves and lace bertha edged with pearl. fringe: t Perhaps referring to a Gaby des Lys chapeau piled with about $900 worth of bird- of-paradise feathers. —Fashion Editor. ta -Offe Cushing ~ EARLY SPRING STYLES NO, 1—TOQUE AND TIPPET OF STEEL-GRAY “LE D'ANDY.” NO. 2— AUTO-CHAPEAU “LA COUR SUPREME.” NO. 3—TA-RA-RA “LA COQUETTE KEI NO, 4—WHITE FEATHER régrette OVER BLUE TAFTA “LE DERNIER CRI.” So he left his fond mére “The Masculine Heart, Who, seeing his haste, When the love-arrow strikes, Philosophized thus Knows nothing of Art: On Masculine Taste: But it knows what it likes.” Wallace Irwin. comicbooks.com