Life, 1921-08-11 · page 26 of 40
Life — August 11, 1921 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine (a satirical weekly) contains brief humorous anecdotes rather than political cartoons. The jokes reflect post-WWI British and American sensibilities: **Key content:** - Military humor about Field Marshal Foch, a French WWI commander, contrasting how the French and British promoted their generals - Working-class British comedy about police, barbers, and street vendors (reflecting class-conscious humor common to the era) - American observations about Boston terriers, bathing girls, and business culture **The satire targets:** - Military bureaucracy and mediocrity - Class pretension and social hypocrisy - Gender stereotypes (women's vanity about books and fashion) The page also includes period advertisements for Egyptian Deities cigarettes and Mothersill's Seasick Remedy—products now obsolete or notorious (seasickness remedies from that era often contained cocaine or morphine, as the ad awkwardly disclaims). This is primarily a humor/advertising page rather than political commentary, reflecting early 1920s popular entertainment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SyCAVT SEISfORS, AVE, NyLLv Cae: “If Foch had been an Englishman—” began an officer in a mess half a hundred miles behind the lines, to be interrupted disgustedly by his senior with: “Foch! Foch! If Foch had been an Englishman they’d have made him into a poor old Area Commandant, to look after the Chi- nese and see the billets were clean—like they’ve blankety-blank well done with me!”—London Morning Post. Impersonating an Officer “Coppers—nasty, suspicious, interfer- | ing blokes,” exclaimed Bill. “Always sneakin’ about where they’re not wanted. I fairly ’ates a copper. An’ now I reads in the papers about a feller being charged with pretendin’ to be one!” “A feller wot’d pretend to be a cop- per,” rejoined his pal darkly, “’ud do anythink.”—W inning Post (London). Unintelligible “Lay down, pup. Lay down. That’s a good doggie. Lay down, I tell you.” “Mister, you'll have to say, ‘Lie down’. He's a Boston terrier.” —Nashville Tennessean. The Customer: Nah then, Ikey! Knock ten bob orf the price or I takes a deep breff! —Passing Show (London). A Valiant Blade Customer (with week's beard): you think that old razor will do it? Barser: It will, sir—if the handle don’t break!—Tit-Bits (London). “Never put off till to-morrow putting off what you can put off to-day,” is the slogan of the 1921 bathing girl. —Louisville Courier-Journal. Do The Test of Popularity Frederick Niven’s “A Tale That Is Told” has a note for library ladies who want “the very latest.” Two in Glasgow asked in turn and in duet for half-a- dozen novels, all of which were an- nounced unprocurable with the stereo- typed: “I’m sorry, there is not a copy in at present.” At last the youth who attended to them came triumphantly back with a volume they had asked for. “Oh said one. “We won't have it, since it is in. It can’t be any good. We want books that everyone is reading.” The other agreed: “If it’s in, we don’t want it.” —Publishers’ Weekly. All in Good Time Tue Fatuer: I have been thinking, my dear boy, of retiring next year and leaving the business to you. His Propicat: There’s no hurry, is there, father dear? You go ahead and work a few years yet, and then we can retire together.—Kasper (Stockholm). Getting Over the Difficulty Conpuctor (new to the job): I'm sure the old boy just here has paid his fare twice. Think I had better tell him about it? Motorman: No-o! Ask him for it again.—Bulletin (Sydney). “No woman ever takes another wom- an’s advice about frocks.” “Naturally. You don’t ask the enemy how to win the war.” —London Opinion, From a Play. Lire, is published every Thursday Great Britain, Canada and British P Patent, Office. $5.00 a_year in al countries in the Postal Union, $1.60 current copies, 15 cents. Back numbers of publication, 25 cents, Issues prior to The text and illustrations in Lire are copyrighted. For Reprint Rights in Great Britain apply to Lire, Rolls House, Breams Buildings, Fetter Lane, London, E. C., England. Breams Bui 386-388 St. Ja No contributicn: addressed envelope. 0 out of print. The foreign trade supplied from Li -ondon, E. C. es Street, Montreal, ; London Office, Rolls How Canadian distributor, J. R. Tangua Canada, Il be returned unless accompanied by stamped and are docs not hold itself responsible for the loss or non-return of unsolicited contributions. Notice of change of address should reach this office two weeks prior to the date of issue to be affected. EGYPTIAN DEITIES Utmost Cigarettes Plain End or Cork Tip “People of culture and refinement invariably | PREFER ‘Deities | to any other cigarette 256 | Pirargyios Me setibaliak res Noe K = Seasick e€asic Thousands of Travelers the world over depend upon MOTHERSILL’S SEASICK REMEDY Prevents and relieves nausea. Practically all Steamship Companies on both fresh and salt water have officially adopted, and advise, this remedy. No cocaine, morphine, opium, chloral, coal tar products or their derivatives nor other habit forming drugs. Sold by leading druggists everywhere on guarantee of satisfaction or money refunded. 60c and $1.20. MO’ REMEDY COMPANY DETROIT, MICHIGAN Also at 19 Gt. Bude St. Londen, afustrent, New’ Votes dad alta, comicbooks.com