Life, 1912-11-28 · page 13 of 44
Life — November 28, 1912 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This poem mocks the privileged American debutante—a young woman presented to society. The accompanying illustration shows "The First Lady of the Land," a glamorous woman in an elegant gown. The satire critiques how society fawns over debutantes: crowds push to see her, newspapers cover her activities, wealthy suitors compete for her attention, and even servants seek her patronage. Yet beneath the glamour, the poem suggests emptiness—her "head is empty," "heart is cold," and "soul is poisoned by flattery." The commentary suggests that despite her education at exclusive schools and social prominence, she's intellectually hollow, morally compromised by vanity, and ultimately destined for sanitarium care—implying mental/moral breakdown. It's a cutting critique of aristocratic excess and the emptiness of status-obsessed society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The American Debutante CMe FANFARE of trumpets and a ra- ta-ta of drums greet her appear- ance. The crowds ogle and push and press as she passes. She is as blooming as a rose, As stately as a lily. She carries herself like an empress. Her gowns cost the upkeep of an orphan asylum. The price of her jewels would feed many hungry ones. The papers print her chronicle her doings. portrait and War dispatches give way to a descrip- tion of her at the opera. Her operation for appendicitis is di- lated upon. The shopkeepers humbly solicit her patronage. Modistes lay aside all other orders to do her bidding. Dowagers wag their heads and tongues in approval or disapproval. Young matrons patronize her and are snubbed. Young husbands regret their bondage. Old beaux lay their battered hearts at her feet, Gilded youths, their rent rolls. Belles of two seasons back rail with envy. School girls admire and copy her. Doll babies are christened with her name. The world is her oyster and she opens it with lofty disdain. Herself she loves with a consuming passion. She browbeats her mother. She bullies her father. She is overbearing with the servants. She was educated at Miss Spoiler’s Finishing School, Where she learned some things she should And many things she shouldn't She dances like a siren. She smokes like a chimney. THE FIRST LADY OF THE LAND Her head is empty Her heart is cold. Her tummy is worn out with much munching of bonbons. Her soul is poisoned by flattery and foolishness. ¢, disillusioned before the season is half over, She is sent to a sanitarium at the end of it. There she has time to ponder Whether the game is worth the can- dle, While the social Jenkinses send out bulletins of her condition, And the florists reap a rich harvest. comicbooks.com