Life — August 3, 1922 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 6 The cartoon shows three men dining together, with the caption joke: "Wadda they call the French national anthem?" / "Oh—the Mayonnaise or sumphin'." This is a crude ethnic/linguistic joke mocking both French culture and working-class American dialect. The humor relies on a pun: "Mayonnaise" sounds like "La Marseillaise" (France's actual national anthem) to an ear unfamiliar with French, and the misspelled response ("sumphin'") mimics lower-class American speech patterns. The facing articles include satirical commentary on social issues: "The Cause of Crime" humorously blames women's short skirts, female smoking, and other modern behaviors, while "Aquatic Tennis" appears to be a humorous account of sporting events at Wimbledon in July 1922.