Life, 1921-07-28 · page 22 of 34
Life — July 28, 1921 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two separate pieces of satirical humor: **Top cartoon:** A woman in a boat refuses to adjust position, claiming she's "very comfortable." The satire mocks stubborn wives who won't cooperate with their husbands' practical suggestions—a common domestic stereotype of early 20th-century humor. **"An Old Favorite Revived" sketch:** A melodramatic play about a working-class couple facing financial ruin when the wife loses her job. The twist: the husband has secretly saved her cigarette money—$276.87 in nickels and dimes—which miraculously solves their crisis. This satirizes both the sentimentality of Victorian-era domestic theater and gently mocks women's spending habits, portraying smoking as an indulgence that, if foregone, yields substantial savings. **Bottom cartoon:** Two men boast about their dogs' thefts—one stole a prize at a show, the other a beefsteak from a butcher. The joke relies on absurdist humor treating petty theft as something to brag about. All three pieces reflect early 20th-century attitudes toward gender roles, class, and domestic life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
An Old Favorite Revived EANNETTE: Oh, George—George—we are ruined. I have worked so hard to lift the mortgage on our sweet little home, but it’s no use. And now to-day—to-day— (Turns away unable to look George in the face.) GerorcE: To-day, yes, dear, to-day? JEANNETTE (hoarsely): I’ve lost my position. GeorcE (putting his arms around his wife’s neck): Never mind, dear, we'll pull through somehow. JeanNeTTE: But think of the mortgage—the children— Georce: There now. Cheer up. I’ve something to show you. (Runs to mantel, reaches into old teapot and takes out small box. Counts out $276.87 in nickels and dimes before Jeannette’s astonished eyes.) Jeannetre: Why, George—where—where—? GeorcE: Your cigarette money, dear, which you so nobly denied yourself. JeaNnNeETTE: George, you darling! (They embrace.) Curtain “My father carried off a valuable prize at the dog show.” “That’s nothing. Mine took a three-pound beefsteak out of the butcher shop yesterday.” comicbooks.com Ji