Life, 1923-05-24 · page 8 of 42
Life — May 24, 1923 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces from *Life* magazine: **"Confessions of a Poseuse"** (top left): A woman describes having her portrait painted. She complains about vanity and the artist's demands—he needed a regular commission to work, scattered her belongings for his "daveuport" (davenport), and insisted she pose. The joke mocks both the sitter's pretension and artists' temperamental behavior. **"Chief Prentiss and the Animal Show"** (bottom): A cartoon shows a Native American figure ("Chief") boasting to agents about providing 4% beer at their party and stealing it from "them." The humor appears to reference Prohibition-era alcohol smuggling, with the "Chief" portrayed as both foolish and criminal—a period-typical ethnic stereotype used for comedic effect.
📄 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.” “Bad? Why, what do you_mean?” “That they should make her do it over.” Confessions of a Poseuse “No, I don’t mind posing. It just y; that is why my nose looks came to me. so small. “It only took nine sittings, with “No, I don't think it is too ersation. pretty. Oh, I know what you mean, s, his wife stayed in the of cou studio all the time. Finally—defiantly, “J think it is “He had his easel about six feet a swell picture!” 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: Chief Prohibition Agent: Listen, men, those people from the animal show “Well, it looks like me through openly boast that they’re going to have 4 per cent. beer at their party, and they a , ae defy us to take it away from them. How’s that for gall? the eyes, don’t you think? No. 1 Agents: Lead the way, Chief—we'll show “em!!! comicbooks.com