Life, 1922-07-27 · page 22 of 36
Life — July 27, 1922 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a **title contest** for a Maxfield Parrish illustration (the large stylized figure in the upper left). Readers submitted witty captions for the artwork, competing for $500-$100 prizes—a common interactive feature in satirical magazines of this era. Below that, **"Knifing the Budget"** is a satirical list mocking British royal household cost-cutting efforts. It proposes absurd economies: replacing the Swan Keeper with a "competent goose girl," buying the King a Ford instead of maintaining horses, serving cheaper wine to the Poet Laureate, and substituting a cat for the Superintendent of the Royal Mews. The humor lies in the contrast between the monarchy's traditional dignity and these undignified penny-pinching measures—implying that post-WWI Britain's fiscal constraints force ridiculous indignities on the crown. The page concludes with brief, unrelated social commentary in "Women and Things," offering quips about femininity and human nature typical of 1920s magazine fillers.
📄 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 Fe the best title to the Maxfield Parrish picture above, Lire will award prizes as follows: First Prize 00... .00000008 $500.00 Second Prize .. «++ $200.00 Third Prize ... «+. -$100.00 The Contest will be governed by the following ConpiTions: (Contestants are advised to read these conditions care- fully, and to conform to them exactly. Lire cannot undertake to enter into correspondence or to reply to inquiries.) By “best” is understood that title which most cleverly and briefly describes the picture above. The contest is now open and open to everybody, and will close at this office at noon on Tuesday, August rst, 1922. Titles will be judged by three members of Lire’s Edi- torial Staff, and their decision will be final. Titles may be original, or may, be a quotation from some well-known author, and should not exceed twenty words each. Contestants may send in more than one title, but not more than ten to a sheet. Should we have duplicates of any of the winning an- swers, the full amount of the prize will be given each tying contestant. The final award will be announced as early as possible after the close of the contest (allowing for completion of the final reading). Checks will be sent simultaneously with the announcement of the award. i All titles should be addressed to Lire’s Picture Title Contest, 598 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. En- velopes should contain nothing but the competing titles, typewritten or very plainly written, using one side of paper only, with the name and address of the sender on each sheet. The members of Lire’s staff will not compete. Knifing the Budget “Careful study is expected to reduce the ex- penses of the Royal Household of Great Britain by £10,000 annually.”—News Item. £ LIMIN. Mary Cutting down to fit Prince George Providing the Poet Laureate with 1 case beer rather than 2 tuns extra Canary wine Selling the Master of the Horse’s horse and buying him a Ford Serving the roast beef of Old England with- out Yorkshire Pudding Reducing the Hereditary Grand Almoner’s supply of almonds...............0200005 Cancelling subscriptions to John Bull, the Westminster Gazette, the Manchester Guardian and Tit-Bits. Substituting a competent goose girl for the Keeper of the Swans.............0s008- Dismissing Prince Henry’s valet de chambre (he’s old enough to dress himself)...... Going to the Lascelles’ for dinner once a week and on holidays. Smoking Woodbines rather than the cu: tomary King’s size Pall Malls........... Replacing the Superintendent of the Royal Mews with an experienced Tabby cat.... Subletting the Prince of Wales’ suite (he’s never home, anyway) VG photographs of Queen 992 Women and Things CELT described a little woman as being so small that she could actually walk under her own parasol. * oe Ficures that have attracted men: Venus de Milo, Ruth St. Denis, Annette Kellerman. Figures that have attracted women: $3.98. x ek * Niose was the greatest Amazon. No feminine weapon is more deadly than a tear—always provided that the man is there to see it shed. x ok * Tue world has facilities enough now for transmitting intelligence rapidly—that is, until we get more intelligence to transmit. comicbooks.com