Life, 1912-05-02 · page 9 of 58
Life — May 2, 1912 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Martin & Martin bootmakers advertisement** for hand-sewn shoes, occupying the upper portion of the page. Below is a **cartoon commentary on crime and urban safety**. The illustration shows children playing in a street scene marked "SILVER DOLLAR" (suggesting a rough neighborhood). One figure says "LET'S GO TO NEW YORK," to which another responds "NO, SIR. A MAN'S LIFE AIN'T SAFE THERE." The joke satirizes **New York City's reputation for crime and danger** in the early 20th century. It's darkly humorous—even children know the city is unsafe. This reflects contemporary anxieties about urban lawlessness, suggesting that cities were perceived as genuinely threatening places where personal safety couldn't be guaranteed, even for visitors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
nd first? EAUTIFUL models of shoe handicraft—shoes that are modelled to the contour of the foot—in a range of styles to meet every discriminate desire, are found at Martin & Martin fashionable footwear preserves the beauty of a “pretty foot,” and beautifies the ‘‘shapeless " one. Allourshoes are strictly Hand Sewed over cus- tom lasts ; are cut by hand individually—right and left—each from the same selected skins. The fitting and finish too are also hand work. Write for Brochure, sho season's models for every our Bootshops. And knowing how to fit our modish footwear is an art that has been developed into its highest possibilities at our Bootshops. Anexpert Cus- tom Department in connection. We are representatives for the fashionable Hand-Sewed Shoes, by Thomas Cort, maker of the world’s finest footwear, ing photograph: of new asion of Street, Dress snd Sporting wear, with particulars regarding our unique ARTI [ond RTI BOOTMAKERS FOR MEN AND WOMEN New York: 1 East 35th Street Chicago: 326 Michigan Avenue Service-by-Post. “ Let's CO TO NEW YORK.” “No, SIR, A MAN'S LIFE AIN'T SAFE THERE.” comicbooks.com