Life, 1921-05-05 · page 11 of 46
Life — May 5, 1921 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a romantic poem by Mary Coles Carrington paired with a satirical sketch. The illustration shows a crowded indoor scene where a man displays his artwork to others while a woman in the foreground examines it closely. The caption reads: "There's a reason for everything / 'Are his pictures really any good?' / 'I think they must be; all the other artists are knocking them.'" The satire mocks artistic pretension and professional jealousy. The joke suggests that if rival artists are criticizing someone's work, that criticism itself becomes perverse proof of quality—because artists' negative opinions are assumed to stem from envy rather than honest assessment. It's commentary on how artistic reputation can become detached from actual merit.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
cMay Breezes By Mary Coles Carrington HITHER wouldst thou lead my feet, Whither wouldst thou lead my thought, Roving winds of May? Whispering winds of May? Through green lanes with lilac sweet Down dim glades with mystery fraught, Where young lov ve to meet Emerald-veiled, where, long unsought, And old couples stray? Nymph and dryad play? Whither wouldst thou lead my eye, Whither wouldst thou lead’ my heart, Laughing winds of May? Sighing winds of May? Past the nesting birds on high Since my love and | did part To the blossom-snows that fly Lead us, by some happy art, At thy bidding gay? Back to Yesterday ! THERE'S A REASON FOR EVERYTHING “ARE HIS PICTURES REALLY ANY Goop?” “1 THINK THEY MUST BE; ALL THE OTHER ARTISTS ARE KNOCKING THEM,” comicbooks.com