Life — October 11, 1917 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Passing of Courtship" - Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes the decline of romantic courtship in modern American life. The main illustration shows a couple where the woman stands while the man sits reading what appears to be a newspaper or document—suggesting romantic attention has been replaced by domestic indifference. The accompanying text laments how courtship has become "encroached upon" and "trimmed down to practically nothing." It contrasts the past, when young men had to earnestly court women through patient steps, with the present where casual movie dates replace passionate pursuit. The satire suggests modernity has killed romance: once couples marry, they no longer see each other, making courtship itself pointless. The caption's joke about wartime "kultur" implies women's liberation has further accelerated courtship's demise.