Life, 1923-03-08 · page 14 of 37
Life — March 8, 1923 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a travel diary spanning January through March, documenting a tourist's journey through the American South. The accompanying illustration depicts a scene at what appears to be a tailor's shop, where a well-dressed man oversees work on a garment while a small dog observes. The caption reads: "What are you working at, old boy?" "Making a coat of arms for my bootlegger." This joke references **Prohibition** (1920-1933), when alcohol sales were illegal. The humor lies in the ironic absurdity: a "coat of arms" (heraldic nobility symbol) is being created for a "bootlegger" (illegal alcohol smuggler)—suggesting criminals were acquiring trappings of respectability despite their lawbreaking. The cartoon mocks how Prohibition-era bootleggers operated openly despite legal prohibition.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE The Diary of a Southern Tourist ANUARY Ist. Just put in an application for three lowers to go South, Greatly annoyed when the clerk told me they were sold out until April 1st. After slip- ping him a ten-spot I got a drawing- room for March Ist. Pretty lucky. March 1st. Leave for Cedarhurst, N. C., this afternoon with wife and son. Snowing hard. Looking for- ward to trip with pleasure. Never been farther south than Trenton. March 3rd. Cedarhurst, N. C. Ar- rived yesterday. Train five hours late. Ferdie caught cold on the sleeper. Does nothing but sneeze. Mary was car-sick. Found our reserved rooms occupied. The three of us are now living in a curtained-off corner of a hall. Sleet storm all day. Guess we will go on farther south. March 10th, Webustya, Ga. Impos- sible to get reservations. Came down here via day coaches. According to rumors it must be a very lovely place. Have had a cold fog for two days. Mary and I decided to play golf this morning. Waited an hour and forty minutes on the tee to get off. Be- tween waiting on every shot and fishing Mary’s balls out of the ponds, it took us four hours to play fifteen holes. Ferdie was thrown while riding this morning and has a black eye. I rather like it here but Mary wants to go to Florida. March 15th. Beaufair, Fla. Very pretty place. Can’t seem to make my wardrobe fit the climate. I either freeze to death in the shade or roast alive in the sun. There is a charming widow at our table. She seems to be a friendly little thing. I invited her to go to the movies with us. I have an idea Mary doesn’t like her. Wish Mary was more sociable. March 25th. Calm Beach. Mary would come here. She didn’t like the gift shops at Beaufair. The New York Sunday papers said all the social lights are here. Strange we haven’t seen them. Every one wears ig | a> a bathing suit (but not the kind we bought) and a fur coat. Ferdie has our bathtub full of alligators. He cried all afternoon because I told him he couldn't take them to N. Y, We are having what they call a “Norther.” Lord, it’s cold! and no heat. Tried to get six or eight con- genial souls into a poker game this afternoon but they all seemed to have their little games made up by the season. I invited one man up to my rooms for a drink yesterday. He drank about half a quart of Scotch but didn’t seem to remember me to- day. March 30th. Found I could get res- ervations North to-night. Ordered the family to pack up. Many protests. Next stop will be N. Y. C. Had to let Ferdie bring the alligators. Mary is bringing a basket of pecans to every one in her Bridge Club. Well, we have spent March and two thou- sand dollars in the South. Address all next season—any steam-heated Fifth Avenue Hotel. “What are you working at, old boy?” “Making a coat of arms for my bootlegger.” is comicbooks.com