Life, 1920-10-07 · page 51 of 56
Life — October 7, 1920 — page 51: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts a woman gazing at herself in a mirror, flanked by decorative cherubs. The accompanying text satirizes the era's obsession with beauty treatments and products. The joke: women waste enormous time and money on "tedious, expensive treatments" when simple soap suffices. The "Hints on Etiquette" section mocks newly wealthy Americans ("Plain People Recently Arrived") with absurdly specific, often contradictory rules—like consuming soup at musical tempos or keeping one foot on the floor while reaching for bread. It's gentle mockery of social climbers attempting to master upper-class conventions. "The Fast Age" jokes about modern life's accelerated pace: ice in summer, spring vegetables at Christmas, hearing voices across the country before speaking them. The workingman's exchange at bottom suggests profiteers use artificial scarcity claims to maintain high prices despite modern efficiency. Overall, the page blends advertising with social satire typical of 1920s *Life* magazine—poking fun at consumerism, class anxiety, and rapid technological change.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Shave, Bathe and Shampoo with one Soap.— Cuticura (eticara Soap is thofavoriteforsafetyrazorshaving, Hints on Etiquette (For Plain People Recently Arrived) HE movies, as yet, are not quite the accepted standard of good taste in Gress, either masculine or feminine. They may be referred to for amusement, but sever for information. _ Simplicity is the keynote of gentility; exaggeration is the keystone comedy. Re- member, in all probability the best pick- axe you ever owned did not have so much asa smear of gold paint upon it. Unless otherwise indicated by the host- es, at a formal dinner, coats are not re moved. Liquids served in cups are imbibed from cups. The saucer is a mere matter of form, not convenience. Soup is consumed piano, legato and larghetto, or cight spoonfuls to the mimute. In reaching for bread, always keep one foot on the floor. West of Suez, it is not netessary to wear a ring on each finger. In the choice of motor vehicles, the following colors and the combination thereof are to be eschewed: orange, geranium, magenta, heliotrope, American beauty, gamboge, gold, platinum and oyster white. Experiments with all sorts of recommended things, and hours spent in tedious, expensive treatments are no longer necessary for the woman who has adopted the regular use of Resinol Soap for her toilet. If you must have baby’s first shoes done over with bronze, the place for them is not in the drawing-room, Look not upon the dinner tie when it is red. Never tip the servants of a strange dub. By doing so you are taking unfair It is first of all a decidedly pleasing toilet soap, giving a refreshing, and un- usually cleansing lather. Then its ingredients are pure and wholesome. Resinol Soap has no trace of free alkali—that harsh, drying chem- ical which makes many soaps injurious to the skin and hair. But best of all it contains just enough of the soothing, Resinol qualities to tid the complexion of blotches rough- ness, oiliness, etc, and keep the skin soft and clear. Three excellent reasons for adopting the use of Resinol Soap. Sold by all druggists and dealers in toilet goods. advantage of the members, OPERLY TRAINED EARN 100 A WEEK UP MEYER 89TH | Department of the Meyer Both Company) offers pe 2 different and practical training. If you like to . develop your talent. Study this practical course--taught by the largest and most widely known Commercial Art tavization in the field with 20 years’ success— who produced sod sold lest year over 12,600 commercial drawings pal lon equally struction, Get factst oat of mail ‘cents in Stamps. MEYER BOTH COLLEGE OF COMMERCIAL ART N. E. Cor, Michigan Ave. at 20th St. Dept. 13 CHICAGO, ILL, For trial size cake, free, write Dept. 6J, Resinol, Baltimore, Md The Fast Age “THE world never moved so fast before,” mused Mr. Simmons. “We have v ice on the Fourth of July, spring vegetables on Christmas; we buy our straw hats in February and our felt hats in August; we get our Sunday paper on Saturday nig! and our magazines a month ahead of time. If we call a man in San Francisco from New York, he hears our voice about four hours before we speak; and if someone in Japan sends us a cablegram to-morrow, we get it to-day.” IRST WORKINGMAN: The profiteers claim there is no sale for low-priced goods Stconp WorkincMan: But how do they know? comicbooks.com