Life, 1922-11-23 · page 9 of 36
Life — November 23, 1922 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon depicts a street scene where a mother is being told her baby carriage was hit by a motor truck and the child was kidnapped five minutes before the accident. This is early 20th-century satire about **urban traffic dangers and child abduction**—two emerging anxieties of the automobile age. The joke's dark humor lies in the mother's "luck": her child survived the truck only to be taken by a kidnapper. The crowd's reaction and the woman's shock underscore how these modern dangers (vehicular accidents and stranger abduction) were becoming normalized urban hazards. The accompanying text below, "Lessons in New Yorkese: The Piano Prodigy," appears unrelated—it's a humorous phonetic transcription of how New Yorkers speak, likely satirizing accent and dialect.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
il | Mi “A motor truck smashed the baby carriage to smithereens, mum.” “Horrors! Was the baby hurt?” “You're mighty lucky, mum. He was kidnapped only five minutes before.” “QHES gotta lotta talint, ainshe?” “Ohwidunno—sheyaint ony took fawteen lessins.” “Fawteen lessins an playin likeat awready! Sheeza genus.” “Ohwidunno if sheeza genus. But Missellis—atsa teetcha she takes from—sezshes cumminnalawn fine.” “Wellerrant Beetris thinks sheeza genus. Willya lookita crossiner- rands !”” “Oh, thissis ony her slowwun. Shes gotta fasswun, too. Hurryup an finishya slowwun, Essie, soyacan play yafasswun fyerrant Beetris.” “Oh no, Mae, letta taka time. llikeit, Sreal good.” “Itsnossobad frony fawteen les- sins, fisayso myseff.” “Ony fawteen lessins !” “Sevettyficensa lessin, Missellis chodges.. ButtIsay, Beetris, yagatta- Getta bessifya wantresults.” Lessons in New Yorkese The Piano Prodigy “Sjus swatcha havta do. Maes, cheeperinna lawn run.” “Yeh, Isayitis. Cheeperinna lawn run. Youseddit, Beetris.” “Mae, cannessie play ‘Threeyaclock inna Mawnin’?” “Tda think so. Spopala piece, aint- it? Missellis wontlettessie play no popala piecis. Sperlsa touch, asump- in. “Itsawfa nice. Its kinda lika wals like. Yawta getta taletta.” “Wassa nameuvvit?” “*Threeyaclock inna Itsa swell tune.” “Yeh buttitaint classacil. Iffitaint classacil, Missellis wont seeyit. She- wont letessie playno popala pieces.” “Fyask me, lotsa popala is jussas goodas classacil. Not jazz, Ida mean, but stuff like, now, ‘Threeyaclock inna Mawnin.’” “Nawitaint, Beetris. Sperlsa touch But Mawnin.’ asumpin, Missellis says, an Missellis knows. Sheyawta know, fasevvety- ficensa lessin.” “Fyask me, Mae, I thinkitsalla queshiona talint. Talint is talint, and nasheral like. It domakeno diffirince whatcha play, classacil apopala.” “Yessitdoes too, Beetris. Missellis says so. Shewontlettessie playno popala piecis nerno jazz.” “Well, maybe shesright. know, Missellis ott.” “Yeh, sheyotta know, Beetris. Anniaint gowinagentsa, aftapayina allismunny.” “Well, maybe yaright, Mae, wa- withessie gettinalong sagood.” “Yeh, she is gettinalong good. Ithink so.” “Yeh, Mae. Essies gettinalong fine! Shes gotta lotta talint. Ya- reely otta getta ‘Threeyaclock inna Mawnin’.” H.W. H. Sheyotta comicbooks.com