Life, 1920-11-04 · page 27 of 60
Life — November 4, 1920 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces mocking early 20th-century American pretension and snobbery. **"Taste"** ridicules aesthetic affectation—the fashionable "dilettante" decoration style featuring Oriental rugs, Russian samovars, and "sinuous girl-things" posed like Egyptian idols. The satire targets wealthy people mimicking bohemian sophistication through trendy interior design. **"Impoverished Royal Families Seek Domestic Service"** lampoons the American elite's fantasy that cash-strapped European nobility might staff their households. The joke: wealthy Americans (the "profiteer") eagerly anticipate hiring actual aristocrats as servants, imagining romantic plots where servants turn out to be duchesses—mocking both American class-consciousness and their gullibility. **"Evolution?"** satirizes American reception of British Mayflower descendants visiting for the 300th anniversary celebration. The punchline: after being formally welcomed by New York's Mayor at City Hall, they're entertained at the Bronx Zoo's monkey house—implying Americans view the British as primitives, thus "proving" Darwin's evolution theory.
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Taste (A Dilettante Mood) ARE, stained floor With a dab or two of rug— Oriental rug preferably, Of one predominant color; A black-mawed feudal fireplace (If possible) ; Brass and copper gleaming ; A Russian samovar ; Straight window-hangings, Color virago; A yellow bowl (Or blue or green) ; Pillows, Like upset buckets of paint Splashed carelessly together. In the middle A sinuous girl-thing, Like a painted Egyptian idol Waiting to be worshiped. Eugénie Walker De Kalb. Impoverished Royal Families Seek Domestic Service (Newspaper Item) “AH said the owner of the Luxuria Arms as he read the headline, “ now for some really swell elevator boys and doormen. And they can probably provide their own uniforms.” “Thank Heaven!” breathed the play- wright from under his Oxford pince-nez. And he sketched the outline of a dozen new plays.in which the boy fell in love with the housemaid, only to find she was a duchess in the third act and in her own DER TAG name. “We must get some immediately,” Mrs. and having little Imogene’s cars washed every morning by a marchioness.” Profiteer announced to her husband. “Now for a long series of real snappy reminiscences of court life,” said the head “Imagine calling the butler ‘viscount,’ — of a shady publishing house as he sprinkled some violet perfume on an accepted manu- script The directors of various state institutions issued instructions to prepare and hold in readiness special chambers of honor. The editors of the magazine sections of the Sunday news- papers gulped down huge morsels of copy paper. “There's a great time coming soon,” they prophesied gleefully. But the movie manager adjusted a blasé eye at his ubiquitous assistant. “Keep an eye on them royal birds, Jake,” he ad- monished. “Sooner or later they're all going to come in here.” Evolution? DISTINGUISHED group of Britons, wno are visiting America as delegates to the celebration of the tercen- tenary of the Mayflower’s voya; have had at least one in- structive day in our country. It was on the occasion of their official welcome to the city of New York: in the morning they were greeted by Mayor Hylan and his attendant train of officials at City Hall, and in the afternoon by the director of the Bronx Fond Mother (to political candidate who has kissed the #09; whoventertained them:in-thesmonkey house: baby): THAT COMES NATURAL—HIS FATHER PLAYS THE Ever since then they have understood exactly what Darwin KETTLEDRUMS meant. comicbooks.com