Life, 1923-11-08 · page 23 of 36
Life — November 8, 1923 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the newly wealthy ("New-Voes"—likely "nouveau riche") who indiscriminately purchase art as status symbols without genuine knowledge or taste. The poem mocks their obsessive accumulation: they buy art "by the cart-load," fill every surface of their homes with it, yet cannot distinguish between genuine masterpieces (Chinese Chippendale, Gainsborough) and inferior works (Romanesque, Goldberg). The satire suggests their art collecting reflects pretension rather than appreciation. The cartoon below depicts a parent indifferently dismissing their daughter's holiday visits home, expecting her to remain in the city—suggesting wealthy families treat children as inconveniences. The bottom items offer lighter social commentary: one jokes about resenting theatre taxes, another references Demosthenes (ancient Greek orator) practicing rhetoric on pebbles, implying effort builds mastery. Overall, the page criticizes Gilded Age wealth's superficial cultural aspirations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE The New-Voes Are So Interested in Art THE New-Voes are so interested in art. All sorts of art. In fact, they buy it by the cart-load. Every day they visit the Art Department of some large And they pick out great heaps of art. It doesn’t make a bit of difference what it is, so long > it’s art. And they've fairly littered their house with it from top » bottom. There's art all over the place. The walls are covered with it. The ceilings are plastered with it. And it's on the floors, as well. You can’t go a step without bumping into some kind of rt. Svery room is full of it. There’s a lot on the roof. And it’s even beginning to spread to the servants’ uarters, There’s no telling where it’s going to end. Perhaps it never will. Of course, they don’t know Chinese Chippendale from Komanesqu Or a Gainsborough from a Goldberg. But what's the difference to the New-Voes? They're so interested in art. All sorts of art. “WILL YOUR DAUGHTER BE HOME FROM SCHOOL FOR THE HOLIDA “I UNDERSTAND SHE WILL BE THE CITY AND WILL LOOK IN ON US OCCASIONALLY,” “Now, QUICK! TIE THE ROPE AROUND YOUR WAIST AND I'LL PULL YOU UP.” Item of Ancient History WHEN Demosthenes came from the pebble-strewn beach, His eloquent words were a shock, For never in Athens had such a fine speech Been made on the strength of white rock. S. K. NOBLEMAN recently engaged in a duel because he as requested to pay the war tax on a complimentary box seat. We have often felt that way on leaving the theatre. comicbooks.com