Life, 1913-03-20 · page 25 of 44
Life — March 20, 1913 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon's caption "Eugenically Speaking—Looking for a Fit Mate" satirizes the early 20th-century eugenics movement, which promoted "selective breeding" based on perceived genetic superiority. The sketch shows fashionably dressed women and a man, mocking how eugenics advocates evaluated potential mates through a pseudo-scientific lens focused on physical appearance and "fitness." The accompanying article by Mrs. Mamie Panniman-Pratt describes dressing stylishly on minimal budget while name-dropping actresses like Nazimova and rejecting corsets—reflecting progressive 1920s attitudes about women's bodies and liberation from restrictive fashion. Together, the page satirizes both the pseudoscience of eugenics and the performative "scientific" justifications some used to discuss women's appearance and marriageability, while the fashion advice offers a counterpoint celebrating women's autonomy in dress choices.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
EUGENICALLY SPEAKING LOOKING FOR A FIT MATE How I Dressed on $2.39 a Year WOMAN'S position determines her wardrobe. I am a married woman and live in Deleria, Ohio. Once a year I go to New York, which enables me to keep up with the change of fashions. I spend my summers at a summer hotel at West Deleria, when my chief entertainments are interchange of intel- lectual discourse with the other ladies on a large veranda, tennis and croquet, at which I have acquired some little skill. We do not dress for dinner ex- cept Wednesdays and Sundays. Now, of course, when a lady dresses on a limited sum it is not possible to renew her entire wardrobe every year, BY MRS, MAMIE PANNIMAN-PRATT so I am going to show my schedule for three years, which I hope will be found helpful to those who are in a similar situation. I admit that I am a good buyer and take advantage of every sale, for we plan our finances so that I have my entire allowance at hand in advance. These are things I plan never to be without: One winter hat, one lingerie hat, a very warm woolen sweater for winter, a light lace scarf for summer —bigh shocs and stockings for outdoor wear, sandals to match each gown for house wear. (I wear sandals on the tennis court.) One evening dress for both winter and summer to wear at the club banquets, one warm one-piece dress for winter, one gown (one picce)—as for underclothes—mine are always dainty, Nazimova, Simone and many of the best dressed women on the stage have long since discarded this garment. We ob- viate the necessity for artificial support by training our muscles to do their real work, I was voted to have the best fig- ure and carriage in Remcock County this year in the contest of the Daily Moni- tor. My wardrobe always includes a warm red bath robe (which is cleverly converted into a fur-trimmed carriage cloak with a few stitches), a negligee and two night dresses. I always have (Continued on page 393) summer I do not wear a corset. comicbooks.com