Life, 1913-01-09 · page 86 of 100
Life — January 9, 1913 — page 86: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This multi-part satirical piece mocks the pretensions of the English upper-middle class through their French chauffeur, Achille Le Bon. The humor operates on several levels: **The Setup:** The Armynes hire a charming French chauffeur, which signals their aspirational status. Mrs. Armyne boasts about him in letters to her sister. **The Exposure:** Through subsequent letters from Mr. Armyne and Sir Vernon Boyce, we learn Achille is actually unreliable and presumptuous—he goes poaching on neighbors' land, misses important social events due to unexplained absences, and generally takes liberties. **The Satire:** The joke targets the Armynes' class anxiety and pretension. Hiring a Frenchman signals sophistication, but their inability to manage or properly instruct him reveals their actual social incompetence. The chauffeur becomes a mirror exposing their affectations rather than confirming their status. The illustration labeled "Signs of Prosperity" reinforces this—the fashionable woman symbolizes the ostentatious consumption the story gently ridicules.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE yy able fact about Flake Graphite is that bearings have been run for a con- siderable time with no other lubricant and without cutting or harmful results. This indicates why, under less unusual condi- tions, Dixon's Graphite Lubricants bring forth unsolicited testimonials from the “Speed Kings of Motordom." After using DIXON’S Automobile Lubricants for the first time, Barney Oldfield says: “I have never before experienced the sense y and lubrication surety that I felt Ask your dealer for Dixon's No. 677. Special for transmissions and differentials. Send name and model of car for free book No. 244G, “Lubricating the Motor.”* Joseph Dixon Crucible Co. N Established in 1827 t+) Jersey City, NJ. SIGNS OF PROSPERITY The Chauffeur I (Mrs. Adrian Armyne to her siste (Estract.) We have found a most delightful chauffeur, a Frenchman named Achille Le Bon, who speaks English perfectly, although with a fascinating accent, and is altogether most friendly and useful. He is continually doing little things for me, and it is nice, too, to have someone to talk French with, Adrian's conver- sational French has always been very rusty. You remember how in that little shop at Avignon in 1887 he said “ Quel dommage?” for “What is the price?” Il. (Mr, Adrian Armyne to the Conserva- tive Agent at Wilchester.) Mr. Adrian Armyne presents his com- pliments to Mr. Bashford, and greatly regrets what must look very like a slight in his absence from the chair at last. night's meeting, but circumstances over which he had no control caused him to miss the way in his motor-car and afterwards to break down at a spot where it was impossible to get any other vehicle. Mr. Armyne cannot too em- phatically express his regret at the oc- currence, and his hope that trust in his good faith as a worker in the cause of Fiscal Reform may not be permanently shattered. MI. (Sir Vernon Boyce to Mr, Armyne.) Dear ArmyNe: I think you ought to know that I came across your French- man with a gun in the Lower Spinney this morning, evidently intending to get what he could. He explained to me that he distinetly understood you to say that he was at liberty to shoot there. How such a misunderstanding can have arisen I cannot guess, but he is now clearly in- formed as to divisions of land and other matters which apparently are different in France. It is all right, but I think you ought to keep an eye on him. Yours. sincerely, Verxox Bo IV. (Mrs. Armyne to her sister.) (Extract.) Achille is certainly very useful, though his mercurial French nature makes him a little too careless abo time, and once or twice he has been no- where to be found at important junc- tures. For instance, we completely missed Lord Tancaster’s wedding the other day. Not that that mattered very much, but Adrian is rather annoyed. Achille plays the mandolin charmingly (we hear him at night in the servants’ hall), and he has been teaching me repoussé work. 130 Not too far even for the children this winter if you take them by the fast Union Pacific— Salt Lake Route Something to interest them all the way and everything to make you and them safe and comfortable throughout the trip. Los Angeles Limited Less than three days from Chicago to Los Angeles, via Riverside and San Ber- nardino. ‘Through sleepers to Pasadena. Electric lighted Drawing Room and Compartment Sleepers, Li- brary and Observation Cars— Double track, Automatic electric block safeyy signals. ‘The ideal route for Winter travel. Write today for beautifully illustrated booklet about California, We will tell you about ratesand help you plan yourtrip. Address Gerrit Fort, Passenger Traffic Manager Union Pacific Rom 20 Omaha, Neb. (Mrs. Armyne to Mrs. Jack Lyon.) Dear Mrs. Lyon: My husband and myself are deeply distressed to have put out your table last evening, but it was one of those accidents that ocenr now and then, and which there is no foresceing or remedying. The fact is that we were all ready to go and had ordered the car, when it transpired that Achille, our chauffeur, had been called to London by telegram, and had left in so great a hurry that he had no time to (Continued on page 134) comicbooks.com