Life, 1920-08-05 · page 17 of 48
Life — August 5, 1920 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two distinct satirical pieces from early 20th-century Life magazine: **"At the First Tee" (top cartoon):** A golf-course scene mocking social etiquette. A man asks another golfer to restrain his chatty wife during play, but declines to move her himself—suggesting that husbands lack authority over wives' behavior, or that the request is absurdly polite given the obvious solution. **"The Lady and the Toucan" (main story):** A humorous dialogue where a woman in a bird shop mimics a toucan's sounds, unaware the bird is actually insulting her. The toucan mocks her appearance (powder-caked face, tight French shoes, artificial accessories), while she interprets his behavior as innocent study. The satire targets women's fashion obsession and cosmetics culture—the bird represents blunt truth about vanity. **"Agent to Applicant" (bottom cartoon):** Dark humor about insurance. A man considers a trip to Brooklyn so dangerous it qualifies as a "hazardous journey," mocking Brooklyn's reputation as a rough, crime-ridden neighborhood.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
vie | RAR Sy AT THE FIRST TEE “BEG PARDON, SIR, BUT WOULD YOU BE KIND ENOUGH TO TE PLAYERS ARE DRIVING OF “TCAN'T DO THAT, BUT I'LL MOVE The Lady and the Toucan NSIDE the bird store, the lady looked at the toucan, The toucan looked back at the lady, cocked his head on one side and remarked, “ Wok!” “Wok-wok!" replied the lady, playfully. “Good,” thought the toucan; “she’s not half stupid. I'll try her on another one. Gurk!" he exclaimed. “Gurk!” repeated the lady. “Aren't you a funny-looking thing?” she continued in a conversational tone. “Possibly I am,” said the bird, “but how about yourself? Your feet were never made for French shoes, and as for your er—skirts!"” The bird hopped frantically from one perch to an- other in ecstatic glee. It was fortunate that the lady could not understand him. “Mercy! What a beak!” said she. “At least,” answered the bird, “it’s as nature gave it to me. Look at your own beak. It has a layer of powder on it that’s an inch thick, I'll bet. It looks like a frosted bun. Wok! Wok!" His merriment increased. “Look at the way that bird is behaving,” exclaimed the lady. “He won't take his eyes from me. I do believe he's studying me,” she added in whimsical amusement. “Bless your heart, dear; I am,” said the bird. “You and creatures like you come in here all day long. I can always laugh put on them, Powder and paint, lace and silk, over your ridiculous figures sand the clothes and at your airs and graces. ribbons and scent, artificial flowers and furs, feathers—wiat a bag of silly tricks you are! Wok! Wok! Wok! Gurk!” Agent (to applicant for accident insurance): YOU ARE CONTEMPLATING ANY HAZARDOUS JOURNEY OR UNDERTAKING? “WELL, 1 DID THINK OF GOING TO BROOKLYN TO-NIGHT,” comicbooks.com