Life, 1923-11-15 · page 17 of 40
Life — November 15, 1923 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical diary entry from the magazine *Life*. The top illustration shows a social gathering where someone asks "Is Jimson a good doctor?" and another replies "Oh, so-so, about a pint." The joke satirizes doctors who drink excessively—suggesting "a pint" (of alcohol) measures his competence rather than his medical skills. This reflects Prohibition-era concerns about professional conduct and drinking culture. The diary entries mock upper-class social pretensions: Mrs. Pops complains about her new street costume, gossips about acquaintances, and discusses her social calendar. The small illustration shows a frustrated woman with her dog, captioned about worrying over her tail and making a wag—likely a double entendre typical of *Life's* humor. The satire targets wealthy women's superficiality and social anxiety during the 1920s era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nosember Up betimes, and did on 8th my new street costume of Kasha cloth, very smart, and when Sam learned, upon inquiry, that I had laid out four hundred and fifty dollars for it, he regarded me gravely and quoth, I see naught in that garment to provoke a second glance. Which pleased me mightily, forasmuch as the only proper raiment these days is that which isn’t noticed, and it costs a deal of money to arrive at it....To a great hardware shop to buy an ice- cream freezer, and there on a counter was the homeliest rococo ash tray that ever I saw in my life, and I bought it forthwith, and sent it off to C. Dodds to match him for sending me the Louis XV chair with the broken leg....To an inn with E. Brown, and had a fine curry of rice and mushrooms and a romaine salad. And E. did tell me how her young married sister had be- come very Scott Fitzgerald, which, being interpreted, is that she talks all Blake: 1s JIMSON A GOOD DOCTOR? Drake: 0H, SO-SO, ABOUT A PINT. the time about not being able to stand her own sex and has youths in for tea who don't feel a thing they're drink- ing till they fall down on the floor.... Released this day from spraying my throat, for which I thank God. \ on Sie Ml GEE! I’M WORRIED ABOUT All the wave gone from November head, 9th one through having slept on side of my it, nor was it wise in view of the damp- ness to have my servant Emilie put it back. Lord! were I asked to define a darling of the gods I should state, A woman hair curls of its own Lydia Loomis to luncheon with me, full of brave plans for going to all the lectures and concerts, but she will have sacrificed them utterly by Christmas. L. is the type that should pa: she enters and never buy a series of tickets to anything. She did tell me of a new astrologist who, knowing naught of Ethel Atkins save the dates Lydia gave her, had telephoned Ethel in the middle of the night and enjoined her, Don’t marry that widower! So Ethel isn’t going to, albeit were I at her age and condition I should prefer to have my fate decided by a jury rather than a referee....To the Follies (Continued on page 33) whose volition. . comicbooks.com