Life, 1913-08-21 · page 39 of 40
Life — August 21, 1913 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page combines humor about paint with a crime-prevention advertisement. The main cartoon depicts a domestic scene where a woman calls police, saying "Hello, Central, Emergency Call—Police, please!" while a man appears to be committing a crime in their home. The satire connects to the paint essay above: the article humorously discusses how wives use cosmetic "war paint" and how new neighbors are "suspected" based on appearances. The cartoon plays on this theme of suspicion and hidden intentions—suggesting that paint and appearances can mask criminal activity. The accompanying Colt Automatic Pistol advertisement frames the gun as "THE ARM OF LAW AND ORDER," positioned directly below the crime scene. This juxtaposes the magazine's satirical social commentary with a serious pitch for self-defense, reflecting early 20th-century anxieties about urban crime and home security. The advertisement leverages the cartoon's criminal scenario to market the weapon.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Paint PANT comes in all colors, It is used to paint boards, towns and girls. It is also mixed up a great deal ith the signs of the times. Paint is generally used to cover up defects, but not always. When, for example, your wife has her war paint ‘on you both see and feel many hidden things which before you had not even suspected. Paint is always made out of the best white lead, except the kind that is used by accomplished hypocrites who paint your house, which is generally a com- bination of chalk, water and near-tur- pentine. Red paint is used occasionally on autos, country schools, houses and European labels, and invariably on soubrettes and society queens. It is also suspected on the new neighbor who has moved recently into the next block. Paint is also used, in its highly enameled form, on bath tubs. When your cheerful and energetic wife, hav- ing visited a department store the day previous unknown to you, lays on your favorite bath tub with loving hands a complete coat of enamel paint and you slip in just before dinner to furbish up, it gives you a renewed sense of the workings of an all ruling Provi- dence that you have been minded a few days before to take out an acci- dent policy in a perfectly reliable in- surance company, Also, when you begin to select your vocabulary for the great occasion, you realize more than ever that cleanliness is right next to godlessness, PULLS 4000 POUNDS UP 20% GRADE Autowline can be attached to any car quick as a wink. It will pull your car, or your friend's car, home every time. It will also start a stalled wheel on its own pow BASLINE AUTOWLINE Made of famous Yellow Strand Wire Rope is 25 fect of finest flexible 14-inch st fope on carth; weighs only § pounds. up flat under a cushion until you need it. Buy a Basline Autowline your acces- sory dealer for only iy. Then you're good and ready for any emergency of the road, FREE teeter ctrsign tote tne abate ators te peters The Little Steel Rope with the Big Pull BRODERICK & BASCOM Rone Co. 809 No. 2nd Street, St. Louis, Mo. New ‘York Office: 76 C. Warren St. Makers of “Yellow Strand” wire rope, used the Books Received Alice's Adventures in Cambridye, by R. C. Evarts. Lampoon, Ca Our City (Published by the Harvard ambridge, Mass.) Civili hy Henry Rawic Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md.) The Immigrant. by Frederic J hin. (Fleming H. Revell Co. Osear W. ide, by Arthur Ransome (Mitchell Kennerley.) Tjorkm Witiiam Rickett. CE. reren J. (Mitehell Kennerley. $1.50.) Morris, by Arthur Compton P. Dutton & Co. CAREY, PRINTER, NEW YORK THE ARM OF LAW AND © ORDER bs SE Colts Patent Fire Arms Mf The Psychology of Laughter, Sidis. (D. Appleton & Co. Degurmo's Wife, by David Graham Mhillips. (D. Appleton & Co. The Open Window, by EF. Temple Thurston. (D. Appleton & Co. $1.35.) The Whistling Man, Wy Maximilian Foster. cD. pa K& Co, $4.30.) The Lu enth, hy Charles E, Van Loan, (Small, Maynard & Co., Boston Mass.) A Prisoner in Fairyland. by Algernon ackwood, (The Macmillan Co. $1.35.) The White Quiver, by Helen Fitzgerald Sanders. (Duffield & Co.) comicbooks.com