Life, 1921-01-13 · page 7 of 36
Life — January 13, 1921 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the moody, temperamental artist. The poem (attributed to "By His Family") humorously describes an artist's difficult personality: he dislikes sun and rain, makes family members "shake our heads in sorrow," abandons activities whimsically, and demands silence while working. His mood controls the household—family members "tread in fear and silence." The illustration below depicts a domestic scene where this temperamental figure (shown in dark clothing, back to viewer) dominates a room of children and adults. The caption reads: "Awful bore, isn't it? Well, the children seem to enjoy it." The satire mocks the artistic temperament as fundamentally selfish and burdensome to family members, while ironically noting that only the children find amusement in the chaos.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ode to Artistic Temperament By His Family E. doesn’t like the sun, He cannot find his pipe, He paddles off alone— He doesn't like the rain, His head’s begun to ache, Relief has come at last; We shake our heads in sorrow No one can ever help him And when he comes back smiling For the mood is on again. Without making some mistake. We know the mood has past. The breakfast’s rather flat, We tread in fear and_ silence- And in his sulky absence The fishing is no fun, For he commands our awe, A masterpiece is born— He doesn’t care for company The mood is deep upon him We're proud of that, but oh, Go near him and he'll run. And his slightest wish is law. Thank God the mood is gone! Doris Nash, $2 n of i. heehee « eR TEREST pda “ AWFUL BORE, ISN’T IT?" “OH, WELL, THE CHILDREN SEEM TO ENJOY IT.” OF PPE Rahate comicbooks.com