Life, 1915-09-09 · page 31 of 44
Life — September 9, 1915 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine cartoon satirizes upper-class etiquette and social anxiety. A woman (the "Professor's Wife") gives her husband detailed warnings before attending a social gathering at the Smythes' home. The humor targets several concerns: - The awkwardness around Mrs. Smythe's divorce (using her ex-husband's name would be a gaffe) - Absurd dining behavior (dropping bread pills into champagne) - Class confusion about proper servant interaction (shaking hands with the butler) The satire mocks both the rigid social conventions of genteel society and the Professor's apparent cluelessness about basic etiquette. The cartoon suggests anxiety about maintaining appearances and the elaborate rules governing "proper" behavior among the educated elite.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Professor's Wife: BEFORE WE START FOR THE SMYTHES’, WALDO, T WANT TO WARN You NOT TO CALL MRS. SMYTHE BY HER DIVORCED HUSBAND'S NAMF, NOT TO DROP BREAD PILLS INTO. YOUR CHAMPAGNE AND NOT TO SHAKE HANDS WITH THE BUTLER comicbooks.com