Life, 1921-06-02 · page 35 of 44
Life — June 2, 1921 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page opens with a small cartoon sketch satirizing social gatherings. The joke is simple: a hostess asks a guest if he sings; he replies "No, unfortunately—I'm one of the listeners!" The humor mocks the tedium of being trapped listening to amateur singers at Victorian-era parlor gatherings, a common social obligation. The guest's wry response suggests he'd rather *not* endure the performance. The remainder of the page is primarily advertising (Tiffany & Co., a music instruction book, health remedies, and belts), with a literary essay about poetry and advertising copy for women's dresses. The cartoon itself requires no specialized historical knowledge—it's universal: the social discomfort of polite captive audiences subjected to unwanted entertainment, a timeless social predicament that would resonate with modern readers facing similar situations (mandatory karaoke, talent shows, etc.).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Hostess: DO YOU SING, MR. BLAZER? ¢ Guest: NO, UNFORTUNATELY—I'M ONE OF THE LISTENERS! —Sketch (London). Literature and Art (Continued from page 806) more graceful it would be if it should be so presented as to bring out its true rdness, It begins, as Horace advised all poets to begin, in medias res—that is to say, without any beating about the bush. It arrests the attention grippingly, if that is It proclaims that “a most attractive Group of Gowns for Wo- the proper word. men” can be had for $29.50 each. group of gowns” is good, very good, in- deed; and even Mrs. Malaprop, who prided herself on “a nice derangement of epi- taphs,” could not have hit on a better word. Then follows this single stanza, which combines a French felicity of phrase with a concision reminding us of “The Greek Anthology” There are frisky affairs of Taffeta, Vith flaring tunics and alert-looking sashes, Models of Crépe de Chine or Silk Jersey That fall with infinite grace Into the most bewitching styles, \nd ultra-modish street-dresses Of Tricotine or Wool-Jersey. lerhaps these last two lines do not quite sustain the lyric level reached by the opening. But observe—and admire—the TIFFANY & Co. 84 YEARS OF QUALITY ILLUSTRATIONS WITH PRICES OF JEWELRY AND SILVERWARE SENT UPON REQUEST FIFTH AVENUE & 37™ STREET New York WHY SUFFER Fi prenon, deeplesness ond focal Weak down whes Joutan earSeasai Having sufered from these deadly attacks, | have ct ght ean oy to te cared a eared to give full information to men and women. peep nero ty most effective ~) eat ws lemming td enetally, Wren eee ESSOE nook Gunen L. W. VERIGIN Brilliant, B. C. Canada delicate dexterity of the enticing adjec- frisky, alert-looking, infinite, be- iching. They are adjectives so compel- Ing that every woman must fall captive at ence and rush out and sell her last Liberty bond, to rejoice in the possession of one of this Group of Gowns, It is true that a mere man, skeptic as he is by virtue of his sex, and cynic as he may be as the result of his experience, will perhaps con- sider whether any Gown of the Group could really equal the poem which chants its desirability. B. M. This Book Free “Success in Music and How THE BELT WITH THE COMFORT FEATURE” TAILORED FROM MODISH LEATHERS OF MANY FINISHES yf UCKLES OF SMARTEST DESICY Patented fi The & (st ye, thickness Ra Bene nto hips Ig shaped to to it and patural movernent of the muscien i gles the belt to be worn comparitively loose and ill give to the trousers that so desired su} support stylish hang. wih Ry wie favorite store cannot supply you, “rie TS Broadway, Guinn New York comicbooks.com