Life, 1923-04-12 · page 37 of 40
Life — April 12, 1923 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous domestic satire about real estate marketing tactics in the 1920s. A real estate agent sells a prospective house to the narrator's wife by obsessively emphasizing its numerous closets and storage spaces—a feature that captivates her far more than the actual living areas. The joke critiques both aggressive sales techniques and changing consumer priorities. The agent deliberately addresses the wife (assuming she makes purchasing decisions) and uses psychological manipulation, repeatedly cataloging closets while the narrator attempts—unsuccessfully—to object. His wife becomes increasingly entranced ("eyes burned with feverish brightness"), repeatedly echoing the agent's refrain: "you can't have too many closets." The satire exposes shallow consumerism: attractive storage features override consideration of the home's actual quality or livability. It also captures gender dynamics of the era, where salesmen assumed wives could be easily swayed by domestic conveniences while husbands seemed powerless to resist their enthusiasm. The accompanying Liquid Arvon dandruff advertisement represents typical 1920s magazine content.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Closet Complex blueprint on the architect's simple blueprint was to it was far more than that estate agent. He visual- it a whole house. I believe where in it he could even e mission. “Noi. madam,” he addressed my spouse, &s if she were the person makin. the decision, “note that he right of the front door. dam, is a fine, big, roomy, v coat closet yuse was visibly impressed. The 2 t pursued his advantage. “Tl square to the left is an . cubbyhole, and adjacent to well-drained umbrella crypt. ge space here—you might was the living room—is a cupboard, and this north 1e dining room will be taken china closet.” can’t—" I began. e too many closets,” the nished, while my spouse 1 beatific agreement. “Now ee are kitchen closets and and here is a compartment brooms and a nook for the and a cute little vault for the THE table me. But to the rea ized fr that so space 1 overs! it is This think firew¢ half « up by agent smile these cabine for tl dustpar mop. “Up-tairs, besides five baths and thr vatories, you will observe here"--the finger of the agent trav- eled «long what looked like a cell block~- “a series of linen closets, clothe. bins and presses, chests of drawers and miscellaneous recesses, trunk storerooms and lamp niches.” The eyes of my spouse burned with feverish brightness. “You can’t —" she commenced to chant ecstati- cally. “—have too many closets,” the agent chorused triumphantly. “Now here is a short hanger for your hats, asi compartment for the silver, a for your jewelry, a bunker for the children’s toys, and this en- closurs is a handy little cavity for An I’asy Way to Remove Dandruff If you want plenty of thick, beautiful, glossy, -ilky hair, do by all means get rid of dan'ruff, for it will starve your hair and rui. it if you don’t. The hiest way to get rid of dandruff is to dissoly. it. To do this, just apply a little Liquid \rvon at night before retiring ; use enough 'o moisten the scalp, and rub it in gently vith the finger tips. orning, most, if not all, of your will be gone, and three or four »plications should completely re- ery sign and trace of it. ill find, too, that all itching of the ill stop, and your hair will look and hundred times better. You can get _\rvon at any drug store. A four- bottle is usually all that is needed. y dandru more EIGHTEEN COUNTRIES IN ONE CRUISE To Sail Around The World! Canadian Pacific Agents Atlanta . 49N. Forsyth Street Boston . 405 Boylston Street Buffalo . . 160 Pearl Street Chicago. 40N. Dearborn St. Cincinnati 430 Walnut Street Cleveland 1040 Prospect Ave. Detroit . . 1239Griswold St. Duluth . . Soo Line Depot Kansas City, Mo. 601 Railway Express Bldg. Los Angeles, 605 S. Spring St. Minneapolis 611 2nd Ave.,S. 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Fare $1600 and up from starting point in United States or Canada, back to starting point. Limit 500 Shore excursions at ports of call included in fare. Privilege of side trip across India Fifteen days over- land Shanghai to Yokohama Eight days across the Flowery Kingdom Privilege of stop-over in China or Japan, using any later Empress to Vancouver. Romance is excelsis. The last stone in the arch of culture. The greatest of all vacations Around the globe under the flag of a Canadian Pacific Empress. The world is a passing pageant at your feet. Let the nearest Canadian Pacific Steamship Agent send you booklet and particulars. Let him look after all arrangements for you. theWorld Guise IT SPANS THE WORLD CANADIAN PACIFIC OFFICES ALL OVER THE WORLD The R. L, Watkins Co, Cleveland, Ohle, such odds and ends as may collect.” The agent rustled out a lease. My spouse wildly thrust a pen into my right hand and dragged it, helpless, to the dotted line. “Wait!” I cried. “Where do we sleep? Is there any heat in the place? How far is it from the sta- tion?” But it was of no avail. My spouse bid the agent an enthusiastic fare- well. “You can’t—’ I heard her start to remark to him. . . . By a terrific burst of speed, I es- caped hearing the agent’s reply. F2D:.* At the Symphony Concert I Know I do not comprehend The symphony’s deep joys; But gosh! I tell you what, my friend— It makes a lovely noise. P.W. Mr. C. J. McCartuy wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to Miss Bonnie McLeary for a sugges- tion taken from her statuette, “Goosie—Goosie,” and used in an il- lustration by him in the February 8th issue of Lire. comicbooks.com