Life — October 28, 1920 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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# "The Transmigration of Tunes" - Life Magazine, Page 753 This satirical article critiques how American patriotic songs are often replaced with foreign melodies. The main argument: the Austrian national hymn composed by Haydn works better than "Yankee Doodle" for the U.S. national anthem, but importing foreign tunes is culturally problematic. The two cartoons illustrate related absurdities: the top shows a woman receiving wedding invitations while discussing imported melodies; the bottom depicts a man confronted about his car's high cost while defending the expense. The underlying satire mocks Americans' tendency to adopt foreign cultural products—whether musical compositions or automobiles—while simultaneously celebrating national identity. The piece satirizes both cultural snobbery and the contradiction between patriotic rhetoric and consumerist behavior favoring imported goods.