Life — May 10, 1923 — page 22: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a humorous domestic scene from the "Skippy" comic strip. A young boy (Skippy) stands at a bathroom doorway asking his mother for permission to use a clean towel she's placed there. The joke relies on the contrast between the boy's politeness (asking permission) and the absurdity of the situation—he's seeking approval to use something his mother already provided *for* bathroom use. The humor comes from either: 1. The boy's excessive deference to household rules, or 2. An implication that using the towel might somehow ruin it, making his permission-seeking comically unnecessary This reflects early-20th-century domestic comedy, playing on parent-child dynamics and household routines familiar to contemporary readers.