Life, 1921-02-24 · page 9 of 32
Life — February 24, 1921 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page by Gluyas Williams presents humorous vignettes of wealthy Americans at winter retreats. The cartoons satirize upper-class social conventions and pretensions: The top left shows guests at "Cobblestone Lodge" in the Adirondacks, mocking how the lodge "seems to be pretty well operated most of the time" despite being heated only by open fires. The top right depicts Mrs. John Bittersweet as an anxious hostess obsessing over guests' comfort at her Berkshires property. Lower panels illustrate specific incidents: a snowball fight at the Vandervoorts' estate and Ferdinand Fluker's exaggerated hunting story about a twenty-mile snowshoe tramp—satirizing the tendency of wealthy men to embellish outdoor exploits. Williams' humor targets the self-importance and social anxiety of the leisure class.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
eee te tee ie r February 24 Winter House Parties The Ralph Howitzers have opened up Cobblestone Lodge in the Adiron- dacks for the week-end, though, as one of the guests remarked. on feeling an icy draft strike the back of his neck, the lodge seems to be pretty well opened up most of the time. The house, it may be said, is heated by open fires, though there are those who deny it. There comes a time when certain of the more frolicsome among the older members of a winter housc-party feel impelled to renew their youth in a snowball fight. We show a scene from the _Vandervoorts’ week-end house-party just after Judge Nathaniel Bramble had landed a neatly placed snowball in the eye of the first secre- tary of the Brazilian legation. By GLUYAS WILLIAMS When Philip Terwilli- ger arrived at the Bean- feathers’ the ground was bare and the weather re- port was fair and warmer. Consequently he felt per- fectly safe in laying stress upon his ability as a skier. Imagine his feelings when he arose next morning, and heard some other “early riser remark that it was a perfectly ripping day for skiing. Mrs. John Bittersweet is a hostess of one idea, Having taken some people to the Berkshires for winter sports, she intends to see that they get them. All day she prowls about the house, searching for delinquents. She has espied Willy Wimbledon just. as that unlucky youth was congratulating him self that he had eluded a skating party and was settling down for the first com- fortable moment since his arrival. Wishing to confirm the illusion that he is a bit of a sportsman and full of red blood, Ferdinand Fluker an- nounced at breakfast that he was off for a twenty-mile snowshoe tramp. The dear boy couldn't. walk five miles if his life depended on it. But fate is against him. “ Would you mind says his hostess, “going just a or two farther on your tramp, and bringing back this list of things from the village?” comicbooks.com