Life, 1919-05-15 · page 38 of 50
Life — May 15, 1919 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising** rather than satirical content, though it contains period humor. **Main Advertisement: B.V.D. Underwear** The dominant feature is a B.V.D. (a major American underwear brand) ad showing a wife checking laundry. The pitch appeals to wives as judges of underwear durability—"Ask your wife how long B.V.D. wears! She checks the laundry!" This reflects early 20th-century marketing strategy: targeting women as household purchasers and quality arbiters. The "Red Woven Label" serves as authenticity proof against counterfeits. **Secondary Content:** - **"An Abridged Political Catechism"**: Mock Q&A satirizing politics as a cynical science ("fooling the people"), politicians as self-interested, and ballots/recounts as theater masking corruption. Standard Progressive-era skepticism toward politics. - **Minor poems** on "Good Behavior" and greatness - **Bachia Cigars** and **Cheona Evans Ale** ads The page exemplifies how Life mixed satirical editorial content with commercial advertising to subsidize publication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Yes.dearlasked for BV.D. 7 and here's the label” ' company Ask your wife how long BMD. wears/ She checks the laundry! BMD. quality can only be obtained in BV.D Underwear MADE FOR.THE If it hasnt this Tt isn't BV.D Red Woven Label at Tefen orgs amr THE B. V. D. COMPA New York. B.V. D, Coat Cut Undershirts and Kace B.V. D. Sleeveless Closed Crotch Union Length Drawers, $1.00 the Garment. Svits. (Pat. U.S, A.) $1.75 the Suit. OF lel ANIy Remember, all Athletic Underwear is not B. V. D. Peereplisaniy Good Behavior Oh, dear! I wish that we could buy Excursion tickets to the s| T'S very, very hard for me And wings that wouldn't fade or moult, good as T should be; And angel raiment by the bolt! vad’s as easy quite Maria Condé. As falling out of bed at night. pecan OME men are born great; some It must take lots of sacrifice achieve greatness, and some are Of everything that’s bad but nice naturally great enough to become regu- To make the Saints as good as we lar annual subscribers to Lire of their Have always cracked them up to be! own accord. The Standard brand of uniform quality 32sizes 10% 10304 each At all Clubs, Hotel and Dealers in genuinely fine cigar, BACHIA & Co. NY Ask for Bachicis ened ge be An Abridged Political By Our Of Q. What is politics? A, Politics is the scicnc the people as much of the sible. Q. What is government A, The form of polity sdopted 5 an optimistic state. QO. What is the difference betwee government and politics? A, The former is the latter practical, Q. What is a politiciar <a. One whose heart a with the people—at electic Q. Who are the people A. Human beings who humanness by believing wl ticians tell them. O. What is a ballot? «l, The ostensible cause of feminixf restlessness. Q. What function does it perfore al, It makes recounts ble. Q. What is a recount? dA, The favorite resort candidates, who try to show t crookedness kept them from taki the oath of office. QO. What is an oath of + 1. A good hased o It consists of an empty usually remains so ENJOYED BY amet” OWLVOVA! OT |the minute in every p Fine for hospitality and home enjoymet Cc. H. EVANS & SONS Estab. 1786 HuUS