Life, 1921-03-31 · page 3 of 34
Life — March 31, 1921 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a poem titled "Early Wildflower" by Christy Holmes, celebrating the delicate beauty of an early-blooming flower. The accompanying sketch depicts a domestic scene where a man confronts a woman about her dog damaging her tie. His accusation is humorous—he blames her dog more severely than he blames her for the offense to his taste. The satire targets social dynamics of the era: the man's indignation over a ruined accessory, his pointed criticism of the woman's pet (and implicitly her), and the absurd prioritization of fashion over relationships. The woman's composed reaction suggests she finds his complaint ridiculous. The cartoon mocks masculine vanity and courtship tensions in early 20th-century American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FROM whose down-slanting finger ti Did thy seed slip Into the heart of earth? No gardener’s hand could ever light A flame so bright As up-sprung at thy birth, Early Wildflower The beauty of thy slender grace Has but one face To pause, and stare in praise ; 3ut one full moment there We mutely share, In soft untrodden ways. A jealous wind implanted thee In secrecy Here, in this far retreat: A bank of aged winter grass To shield thee, lass— And sunlight at thy feet! —Christy Holmes. “LOOK WHAT YOUR BEASTLY DOG HAS DONE TO MY BEST TIE!” “ My DEAR, HIS PEDIGREE GOES BACK MUCH FARTHER THAN YOURS ; LO YOU BLAME HIM FOR TAKING OFFENSE AT YOUR TASTE?” comicbooks.com