Life, 1922-10-19 · page 5 of 36
Life — October 19, 1922 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is an illustration for a game of checkers styled as romantic theater. Two elegantly dressed figures—a woman and man in period costume—sit before an oversized checkerboard positioned like a stage set, with decorative architectural elements and cherubs above. The accompanying poem by F.D.P. frames checkers as a romantic contest: "A checkerboard of ebony and ivory / The latticed moonlight makes / Upon the floor. Come let us play." The humor lies in elevating a simple board game to high dramatic romance, playing on early 20th-century notions of courtship as theatrical performance. The "one thing more: you must not cheat" serves as gentle moral instruction wrapped in flirtation. This appears designed as whimsical entertainment content for *Life*'s readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
E y Bk BR Oy za Checkers CHECKERBOARD of One thing more: you must not ebony and ivory cheat— The latticed moonlight makes So you play fair, Upon the floor. My heart can bear defeat. Come let us play. The stakes? = And if I win— Your dreams for mine. The But come, the moon moves score— swiftly. We'll use the stars for counters. _Let’s begin! F. D. P. —_— Somes Cady Bwett =; comicbooks.com