Life, 1923-10-04 · page 37 of 44
Life — October 4, 1923 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains advertisements and a small cartoon rather than political satire. The cartoon at bottom left depicts a woman receiving constant unwanted telephone calls—"twenty or thirty a day"—which she clarifies are wrong numbers, not admirer calls. This joke reflects early-20th-century frustrations with the developing telephone system's inefficiency and shared party lines, which frequently resulted in misdirected calls. The page is dominated by travel and consumer product advertising: Frank Tourist Company promotes luxury Mediterranean cruises on the Cunard liner *Scythia* visiting Egypt and Palestine; Bakelite Corporation advertises early plastic pipe and cigarette holders as modern substitutes for amber, emphasizing durability and novelty colors. The humor relies on period-specific annoyances—poor telephone infrastructure—that modern readers might find quaint rather than relatable.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
: Medi lerranean Limited to 450 Guests—about Half Capacity) By Magnificent New el ‘ ’ aa Cunard 8S. S. “SCYTHIA’ Twir-Screw Oil-Burner, 20,000 Tons, Sailing Jan. 30, 67 days—Repeating the complete succe: em, 1923 similar Cruise, same Steamer, visiting a EGYPT—PALESTINE Madeira, Spain, Gibraltar, Algiers, Constantinople, Greece, I cily, Riviera, Monte Carlo, F e, England. Scythia” is a_ve e floa , with spacious decks, s, verand. a inasium, commodious state- with run a wardrobes; bedrooms and with. priva s Cunard cuisine and ser- ly one sitting “for. me lege in Europe without, extra cost, returning via S._. erengaria”, or any Cunard Line steamer. nd full information on. re- Zarly reservation insures choice of location. 1e— Also De Luxe Tours to Europe _ FRANK TOURIST CO. (Established 1875) . 542 Fith Ave, New York na ist rain | BAKELITE. z = REDMAM You will be proud of a pipe or holder with a handsome mouthpiece of genuine Bakelite or Redmanol. In clear or in clouded golden yellows, this material is equal to amber in beauty, though far stronger. It is light in weight, taste- less and non-absorbent. In novelty colors, such as ruby, emerald, amethyst, jet and others, it makes very attractive and ser- viceable holders. Pipes and holders of the most widely known makes may be had with Bakelite or Redmanol mouthpieces. Ask your smoke shop to show them. BAKELITE CORPORATION 8 West 40th Street, New York pirin” BAKELITE REDMANOL are the registered Trade Marks for the Phenol Resin Products manufactured under patents owned by e BAKELITE CORPORATION “I. GET AS MANY AS TWENTY OR THIRTY TELEPHONE CALLS A DAY.” “MY, HOW POPULAR! ALL ADMIRERS, I SUPPOSE?” THE MATERIAL OF A THOUSAND USES “NO; WRONG NUMBERS.” comicbooks.com