Life, 1919-11-27 · page 30 of 36
Life — November 27, 1919 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not political satire. The main content is "The Gentle Art of Leasing"—a humorous short story about commercial real estate negotiations in early 20th-century New York. The narrative satirizes the manipulative tactics of real estate agents: Mr. O'Brien uses mild-mannered persuasion and misdirection to interest a prospective tenant in a store location (Wood and Seventh), despite the tenant's original interest elsewhere. The humor lies in how the agent steers the client's thinking while appearing helpful. The social satire is gentle: it pokes fun at the persuasive games played in business deals and suggests men more readily commit to decisions than women do (Jones doesn't need to consult his wife; the protagonist does). The surrounding advertisements—IV-A-TONE phonograph reproducer, Waterman's fountain pens, Houbigant perfume, and Bell-Ans indigestion remedy—are typical of Life's era, targeting middle-class professionals conducting such business.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MASTERS the musical ff i TWACTONE “Reproducer | will render an correctly —artisti cally, The IV-A-TONE eproducer | distinet without blur Sole Agents for the U. u. SA. 4 Scribner Bldg., 599 Fifth Ave., New York = LIFE The Gentle Art of Leasing id your partner, Jones, corner store at F and Market would be an ideal location for a butter and egg store. Then you call to see Mr. O'Brien, of the Delaney Real He listens in a mild, while you tell him wh: mind O'Rourke and Company, a rival real te company, have exclusive agency for that store, but he does not ersonal w t you have + however; first r 1 he centers on a and Seventh. do not want this store, but he t you to see it, talk ing all the way. back to the office. You tell think the store at Wood and manner. You tell him you think the rear room would be good to i you would need a place to store them, for you could not sell them in that neighborhood of automo- bile accessory stores. The next day, Mr. De.aney himself comes to your office with M+: O’Brien. He talks to you and M+ O'Brien talks to Jones. You all fort} go to see the store, § You tell them you® ill consider the ter. 1 mean you will tal\ it over with your wi Jones coer “jot need to talk it over with his wif: He started right with her. Your wife canno‘ se¢ any reason for leasing the Wood nd Seventh store You tell her Jones wa .ts it, and he is Waterman’ s deal Fountain Pen u. ~ Houbigan Hoste KG amor Richest of all (J: Rel BEL L-AN 0} comicbooks.com"