Life, 1921-10-27 · page 23 of 34
Life — October 27, 1921 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous parody of Shakespeare's famous balcony scene from *Romeo and Juliet*, rewritten by "an Eminent Perfumer" to advertise cosmetics and toiletries. The satire works by replacing romantic declarations with product plugs—Romeo praises Juliet's appearance while name-dropping French perfumes ("Ambre vermeil," "Le Rouge Corinne"), soaps, and aftershave. The joke lampoons both excessive consumerism and the fashion industry's obsession with French beauty products in early 20th-century America. The footnote about "Rouge made only temporarily in America" suggests American cosmetics companies couldn't match French quality, poking fun at American vanity and commercial competition. The elaborate Art Deco illustration frames the text as high-class advertising, though the content is deliberately absurd—reducing timeless romance to a shopping list.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
October 27 If Written by an Eminent Perfumer. OMEO: The brightness of her cheek comes straight from France— (Qu’elles sont exquises—ces choses Parisiennes!) See how she leans her cheek upon her hand— “Un jour viendra,” “Ambre vermeil,” “Fox- trot” — Ces chers parfums vous grisent plus que la biére. Oh, that I were her savon dentifrice, A flask of “Quelque Fruits” for her toilette, That I might touch that cheek. Jutier: Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face, Else would Le Rouge Corinne * beprint my cheek (Un rogue-rubis qui offre @ Mademoiselle Toutes les langeurs jadis de V’Orient) For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night. Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny What I have used, but then—What’s in a name? That which conserves the fraicheur of jeunesse By any other name would smell as sweet— s would my Romeo, if he only used ait de Chypre, so soothing after shaving. Cc. M. * Rouge made only temporarily in America. comicbooks.com