Life, 1913-05-15 · page 48 of 52
Life — May 15, 1913 — page 48: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines satirical commentary with period advertising. The main cartoon, "A Bearfaced Outrage," critiques financial corruption through the metaphor of "dummies"—both retail mannequins and corrupt businessmen. The text references a real dispute: Mr. Anthony Brady claims Joseph Kelly, nominally a $25/week stenographer, is merely a "dummy" fronting shady financial dealings in Dayton. Kelly disputes this, claiming legitimate business acumen. The satire suggests Kelly is an inanimate tool used to obscure fraudulent transactions, with the irony that such schemes "never look so well on close inspection." The Velvet tobacco ad dominates the left side, promoting relaxation for business stress. The page also advertises "Sexology," a medical guide book—typical early-20th-century self-help publishing—and wedding stationery, representing mainstream commercial content alongside the satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Handy 5¢ Bags-or one TIN: Ss pound lass lumidor Jars A Happy Marriage Depends largely on a knowi- edge of the whole truth about self and sex aod thelr relation to life and bealth. This knowledge does ot como iotellizenily of ite, nor correctly from ordini every-day sources. geet SEXOLOGY (liustrated) oy William H. Walling, A.M., 4.D. imparts in a clear, oh 5 a ba ge a Fathi Ruowledge Knowledze a Ruowledge a ¥. Snow! aM Allin one volume. Illustrated, $2, postpaid. ‘Write for “Other People’s Opiaions” and Tabie of Contents, Puritan Pub. Co., 776 Perry Bldg., Phila., Pa. in New York, however, who, if Mr. Anthony Brady speaks truly, is a dummy of a new and highly intelligent species, but who, if he himself is to be believed, is a financier of no mean ability and entitled to all the respect that is due to other financiers. The disagreement has reached the courts. Mr. Brady says he had a little deal on in Dayton which had to be handled in an underhand manner and so he placed a lot of securities in the hands of Mr. Joseph Kelly, who, though but a stenographer at twenty- five dollars a we knew well that success is not always to the industri- ous, wealth to the thrifty nor power to the upright. He became a party to this “public service” matter at Day- ton and now has in his pdssession se- curities which, according to himself, are legitimate profits from his share Hurrah for Kelly UMMIES in clothing stores are inanimate figures, attractively draped with clothes which, when you get them home, have lost all their charm. Dummies in financial circles are inanimate clerks on whom are draped shady and more or less frenzied financial transactions which never look so well on close inspection: Dummies are usually all that the name implies. There is a gentleman A BEARFACED OUTRAGE for Fine Corre- spondence or Gen- eral Business Uses are America’s Best. They have given satisfaction to a multitude of users for nearly half a century. They are made in tints and surfaces to suit all tastes. You can get them at any first- class stationer’s. THE TRADE MARK that, stands for fi papers INVITATIONS ualit riting WEDDING = When you select WHITING PAPER COMPANY wedding stationcry New York Philadelphia Chicago take the precaution to specify Whit- ing’s, and you will be assured a sump- tuous paper of flaw- less texture and color, correct size and shape, and a surface that will givea perfect repro- duction from the engraver’s plate. comicbooks.com