Life, 1923-05-10 · page 23 of 36
Life — May 10, 1923 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **LIFE's Picture Title Contest**, offering $1000 in prizes for readers to submit witty captions for an untitled illustration showing an elegant social gathering. The main image depicts what appears to be a formal interior scene with well-dressed figures—likely satirizing upper-class social pretension, though the specific social commentary isn't explicit from the image alone. Below is an unrelated cartoon about "Hank Pringles," a working-class character who attempts to smoke indoors by directing smoke up the chimney, repeatedly injuring himself until abandoning the habit. This appears to mock both stubborn male behavior and the inconvenience of smoking indoors. At bottom, a brief humor piece titled "The Way of All Flesh" satirizes hypocrisy: a man claims to have abandoned writing about making money to write about higher ideals—but admits the idealistic work pays better. The concluding definitions mock the difference between romantic idealism and harsh practical reality. The page emphasizes satire of human contradiction and social absurdity typical of early-20th-century American humor magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE LIFE’S Picture Title Contest—$1000 i For the best title to this picture, Lire will award prizes as follows: $500 $300 First Prize .... Second Prize Third Prize $150 Fourth Prize : $50 The Contest will be governed by the following ConpITIONs. (Contestants are advised to read these conditions carefully, and to conform to them exactly. LiFe can- not uidertake to enter into corres- pondence or to reply to inquiries.) By “best” is understood that title which most cleverly and briefly de- scribes the picture on the right. The contest is now open and open to everybody, and will close at this office at noon on Tuesday, June 12th. Titles will be judged by three members of Lire’s Editorial Staff, and their de m will be final. Titles may be original, or may be a quotation from some well-known author. They should not exceed twenty words each. Contestants may n Prizes This Picture Has No Title send in more than one title, but not more than ten to a sheet. Should we have duplicates of any of the winning answers, the full amount of the prize will be given each tying contestant. SAA feos. “Hank Pringles’ wife sed she’d let him smoke in the house providin’ he'd blow the smoke up the chimney. After Hank hed bumped his head "bout ‘leven times an’ singed off most of his whiskers an’ broke his specs an’ burned holes in his pants he allowed smokin’ was a bad habit anyhow an’ he reckoned he'd give it up.” The final award will be announced as early as possible after the close of the contest (allowing for comple- tion of the final reading). Checks will be sent simultaneously with the announcement of the award. The members of Lrre’s staff, of course, are not permitted to compete. All titles should be addressed to Lire’s Picture Title Contest, 598 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. Envelopes should contain nothing but the competing titles, typewritten (or very plainly written), using one side of paper only, with the name and address of the sender on each sheet. Answers which do not conform to these requirements will not be considered in the Contest. The Way of All Flesh as RE you still writing those ar- ticles for that business maga- zine, telling how to make more mon- ey?” No, I’m now writing articles for a syndicate attacking modern mater- ialism and advocating higher ideals than that of mere wealth.” “But I thought you were so fond of your other job!” “I was, but there’s more money in this one.” AN Idealist is a man who goes to sleep on a park bench because he likes to sleep out in the open air. A Practical Idealist is a man who goes to sleep on a park bench be- cause he has no other place to go. comicbooks.com