Life, 1922-02-09 · page 14 of 34
Life — February 9, 1922 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces winners of Life's title-naming contest for a cover image. The octagonal illustration shows a surreal domestic scene: a man sits reading in an armchair while various impossible or absurd elements surround him—objects float, a figure dangles from above, architectural elements distort. The winning title, "That Second Story Got Him," is a visual pun: it suggests both a narrative ("the second story" of a building) and idiomatic meaning (being fooled or affected by a "story"/lie). The cartoon satirizes bewilderment or domestic chaos through impossible spatial logic—representing the surreal, disorienting nature of modern life or domestic situations that defy rational explanation. The contest itself was a popular LIFE magazine feature inviting reader participation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE LiFE’s Title Contest “That Second Story Got Him” IFE takes pleasure in announcing herewith the winning title for the Contest Picture, which appeared first on the cover of Lire for October 27th, 1921. The Contest was closed on Mon- day, December 5th. Over two hundred thousand replies were received, and the necessity for a careful reading has caused some delay in making the awards. Checks for the amount of the prizes have been sent to the winners. In arriving at their decision, the judges were influenced by originality, brevity and fitness to the situation shown in the picture. Inasmuch as sixteen out of each one hundred correspondents in this Contest assure us that “While There Is Lire There’s Hope,” we are convinced it is so, Others say “Such Is Lire,” while less sanguine temperaments tell us “In the Midst of Lire We Are in Death,” that the phlegmatic gentleman is “Near- ing the End of His Lire,” or “He Will Soon Be Through with This Lrre.” Others mention “A Wreck Angle,” and “The Angle That Made an Angel,” and further ask, “Will There Be Any Stars in My ‘Crown?” Some tell us “Lire Is Long and Dreary,” and “He Didn’t Know It Was Loaded,” and speak of “Lrre’s Headstones.” As a ‘result of careful study some id “Topsy Turvy Land,” or “Fly Time,” while others explained that “The Here Are The Winning Answers To the following answer, submitted by Frank A, Curtin, P. O. Box 571, Fresno, California, is awarded the first prize of $500.00: “That Second Story Got Him” The second prize of $309.00 is awarded to Rogert Everett, Box 254, Redcliffe, Alberta, Canada, for the fol- lowing : An Unsolicited Testimonial General Hospital November 14, 1921. The Editor, LIFE. Dear Sir: While perusing your paper I was very much struck by certain articles. Yours truly, John Smith. The third prize of $200.00 is awarded to M. Farini Lent, 1192 Ocean A nue, Brooklyn, N. Y., for the jollo ing: “Domestic Finish” Home Brew Blew,” that there was “One Raisin Too Many,” and “That Third f Slice of Mince Pie Went Over the Top”; and still others evidently drew on their personal experience and gave simple, logical explanations, as “Drunk Again,” or “The Morning After the Night Before.” It is called “A Family Reunion,” ) “His Own Shall Come to Him.” “A Surprise Party,” “A Miscellaneous Shower,” and “Dropping In on Pop,” and one says “He Was Covered witha Blanket of irish Confetti.” The musical ones mention “Music from Above,” “Voices from on Iligh,” “A Mixed Quartette,” “Wandering Minstrels,” and “Black Tommie’s Swan Song.” Others assure us “The Joke from Lire Brought Down the House,” and “There Is No Place Like Home,” and that it is “Slightly Out of Focus” Some speak of it as “Making a Hit with Father,” and as “Romeo and _ juliet, Modern Version or Up to Date.” and also say “Everything Is Coming Down,’ “Things Are Falling,” and “If Every- thing Keeps on Coming Down, He (Continued on page 32) \b He \ fi Wri comicbooks.com