Life — October 13, 1921 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This October 13 page from *Life* magazine presents satirical inventions mocking smoking culture. The cartoons propose absurd devices to contain secondhand smoke—a "smoke-condenser hat," "smoke caddies" (devices people carry like golf bags), a "front-porch smoker" apparatus, and a "slot-machine smoke receiver." The quote at bottom—"Smokers should consume their own smoke"—clarifies the satire's point: smokers impose their smoke on others, so these inventions mockingly suggest ways to isolate or recycle it back to the smoker. This reflects early-20th-century concerns about smoking in shared public spaces, before modern ventilation or smoking restrictions existed. The humor targets smokers' inconsideration of non-smokers' comfort.