Life, 1914-04-16 · page 19 of 44
Life — April 16, 1914 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on the discovery of a female fossil human in East Africa. The text mocks both paleontological enthusiasm and contemporary women's behavior. The main satire operates on two levels: First, it humorously suggests scientists are collecting fossils like club members seeking new social companions. Second, and more pointedly, it contrasts the "primitive" fossil woman favorably with modern women by listing their perceived failings—playing bridge, smoking cigarettes, neglecting household duties, dancing the tango, and serving as suburban club presidents. The backhanded compliment is the joke: the ancient fossil "deserves respect" *precisely because* she allegedly avoided these modern female behaviors. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about women's changing roles and independence. The cartoon titled "Chains" (right) likely illustrates related themes about women's constraints or choices. The piece is fundamentally satirizing both scientific fads and contemporary debates about proper womanhood.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THB RACE A Recent Addition 'HE news that another fossil human being has been found, this time in the interior of East Africa, will be hailed with delight by all lovers of humanity. Since that ancient gentleman, popularly referred to as the missing link, was dug up many years ago, about a dozen others have been discovered from time to time by ardent scientists, who, no doubt, became tired of their more immediate friends and wanted some one new to associate with. In a few years more there will be enough material to start a Fossil Club, with a president and complete set of officers. The latest addition is said to be better preserved for her age than any of her predecessors. She belongs to the lower Pleistocene period. It will be remembered that this was the period when everybody could spell the simplest words, chil- dren went to bed at 9 p. M., and there was no sex-hygiene. The fact that this latest discovery is a lady fossil need not be a matter of surprise or indignation. Though sev- eral hundred thousand years old, and though her com- plexion is not what it once was, there is no evidence to show that she was ever president of a suburban woman's club, played bridge, smoked cigarettes or neglected her household duties to dance the tango. She is, therefore, entitled to the respect of all who know her. CHAINS comicbooks.com