Life, 1923-05-24 · page 14 of 42
Life — May 24, 1923 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two unrelated pieces of satirical content from an early 20th-century Life Magazine: **Upper Section - "Confessions of a Poseuse":** A woman explains she hired a portrait painter, then deliberately arranged her home to obstruct his work (sweeping, moving furniture) so he'd paint quickly. Her goal was a flattering portrait without proper sitting time. The joke mocks vanity and the shortcuts people take to appear well-presented. **Lower Section - "Chief Prohibition Agent":** A cartoon mocking Prohibition enforcement. A police chief boasts to agents about seizing beer from an "animal show," claiming they'll prevent illegal 4% beer distribution. The humor targets the absurdity and ineffectiveness of Prohibition-era law enforcement—agents celebrating minor seizures while real illegal alcohol operations flourish. Both pieces satirize contemporary American vanity and failed governance policies.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
I didn’t think the lady was so bad, mummy.” “That they should make her do it over.” Confessions of a Poseuse HERE was just no reason for having my portrait painted. All anyone knows about me is that decanters of port and gin always stand on my tea-wagon. I have no personal posterity who will want to know how quaint I was, when I was a slip of a—well, slipping. But I had a pleasant orchid neg- ligee one afternoon, and my hair newly washed, so I picked out a good painter. He had a lot of paints he wasn’t using and nothing to do until he got a regular order. Then the portrait came home. Some people would have thought that hanging was too good for it, but we didn’t. I let the artist sweep everything off one wall, and I hunted up orchid cushions for the davenport, and gave a tea. My answers (Form No. 13) may be of help to other women who have taken up vanity in a sincere and serious way: “Well, it looks like me through the eyes, don’t you think? “Bad? Why, what do you mean?” “No, I don’t mind posing. It just came to me. “It only took nine sittings, with conversation. “Yes, his wife stayed in the studio all the time. “He had his easel about six feet Chief Prohibition Agent: No. 1 away; that is why my nose looks so small. “No, I don’t think it is too pretty. Oh, I know what you mean, of course.” Finally—defiantly, “J think it is a swell picture!” . Listen, men, those people from the animal show openly boast that they’re going to have 4 per cent. beer at their party, and they defy us to take it away from them. How’s that for gall? Agents: Lead the way, Chief—we’ll show ’em!!! comicbooks.com