Life, 1912-06-06 · page 27 of 56
Life — June 6, 1912 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks the commercialization and over-organization of American weddings. Life's fictional "Fashion Reform League" offers to manage every aspect of matrimony—from securing bishops to orchestrating honeymoons to controlling newspaper coverage—positioning marriage as a standardized consumer product rather than a personal life event. The cartoon illustrates "Some of our specialties," depicting what appears to be clergy and merchants hawking their wares at a stall, suggesting marriage services are commodities to be purchased like any other goods. The satire targets: - **American consumerism**: treating weddings as packaged commodities - **Social climbing**: offering "foreign noblemen" at "various prices" - **Father-in-law exploitation**: manipulating him into excessive spending - **Media control**: boasting of influencing metropolitan newspapers for coverage - **Inexperienced newlyweds**: the need for a "scientific basis" to conduct honeymoons properly The tagline "America for the Americans" ironically emphasizes domestic commercialism over tradition, suggesting Americans need not look abroad when domestic entrepreneurs can exploit matrimony just as effectively.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
-LIPE- Are You Marrying This Year? Life's Fashion Reform League Offers Some Special Inducements to Its Patrons—Troussccux and Genuine Bishops Furnished on Application —America for the Americans UR matrimonial arrangements for the season are now complete. We keep a couple of bishops con- stantly on hand for emergencies, and in case you are cloping we can furnish you with a complete itinerary and make all necessary arrangements This League has placed matrimony upon an entirely new basis. It has been generally assumed that in recent years matrimony has been on the decrease. All of our advices, how- ever, show that this is not true. Our buildings in Life Park (formerly Cen- tral) are full of intense connubial ac- tivity, and we are, on the average, mar- rying off about a dozen couples a day. Our well-known motto—America for the Americans—is becoming fully es- tablished all over the country, and we have proved that it is not necessary to go abroad for anything, even in the matrimonial line. In case, however, you should wish your daughter to marry a foreign nobleman, we can supply you with a choice of several dukes at various prices. It should not be supposed that this League has been established for the very rich, We are too patriotic to be ultra exclusive, and there is no one so humble whom we cannot take care of. If you wish to buy your engagement ring on the installment plan, call upon us and we will show you the way . «8 U’ to the present time the American wedding has been conducted in a laphazard fashion. Inasmuch as such fair proportion of people get mar- ried each year who have never been married before, these inexperienced ones have been the victims of chance and the opportunity of tradespeople. Even those who have been married be- fore are by no means as experienced as they ought to be, and fall an easy prey to the many matrimonial traps open to them. This League has placed matrimony on a scientific basis. If you are an in- experienced bridegroom, we take care of you from the start to the finish. We make arrangements with your fu- ture father-in-law to provide every- thing that he ought to provide, and a good deal more. Immediately upon the announcement of your engagement our persuading agent will call upon him and get the old gentleman to agree to pay for the right kind of a wedding. We can do this very much better than you, for we know how to take advantage of the joyful feeling that he has in getting rid of such an expensive person as a daughter. We have the finest line of expert pro- fessional shoppers in the country, and no matter what you want, from a bridal veil to a nutmeg grater, we will furnish it without the slightest trou- ble upon your part oe WWE make all arrangements about getting your names and pictures in the papers, and inasmuch as we con- trol those in the metropolis, owing to the fact that we advertise so largely in them, we can have published about you all the details that you desire, in- cluding list of wedding presents, hon- eymoon route, minute details of gowns worn by guests, and, in fact, all other information. -—— We furnish a honeymoon gramme and can show you how to act every moment you are away es 8 pro- For some time the American honey- moon has been basis. Young and inexperienced peo- ple have been permitted to roam at large without the slightest idea of their rights and privileges. Blushing bride- grooms have timidly escorted shrink- ing brides over the various railway systems of the country without the least idea of their importance. Weare able to make special arrangements with all railroads and hotels, and no matter where you want to go we can guarantee you the time of your life at a minimum expense. have run your bride we secure the giveness at a nominal figure and ar- range for your new home on a sub- stantial basis. In f. there is nothing connected with the matrimonial cere- mony that we do not ta Here is a letter just received from one of our customers: Deak Sirs: Permit me to thank you for the (Concluded on page 1177) upon a_ false In case you away with father's for- care of. of our specialties” comicbooks.com