Life, 1923-12-06 · page 66 of 84
Life — December 6, 1923 — page 66: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains primarily **humorous anecdotes and advertisements** from early 20th-century Life magazine (dated 1875-1923 based on the masthead). The jokes reflect period attitudes and anxieties: **"Only a Coincidence"** plays on **anti-Semitic stereotypes**, mocking a Jewish man (Isaac Abraham Jacob Cohen) fined by a judge for having a Jewish name—the "humor" relies on portraying antisemitic discrimination as amusing coincidence. **"The Celtic Touch"** is a **ethnic stereotype joke** about Welsh men unable to distinguish quality port wine, suggesting they're unsophisticated drinkers. **"Mesozoic Mode"** jokes about a woman wanting to wear a dinosaur display piece as fashion—mocking women's supposedly frivolous consumer habits. **"Things as They Are"** depicts a child's stubbornness about sugar in cocoa, with mild domestic humor. The page is otherwise dominated by **period advertisements** for cigarettes (Richmond Straight Cut), eye drops (Murine), custom shoes, and Fisk tires. The cartoons and text together illustrate Life's formula: mixing ethnic/gender humor with product placement—reflecting early-20th-century commercial magazine culture and casual bigotry now considered offensive.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Individuality in Shoes! Exquisitely designed. Made to your own specifications. $35 upward, — Mail orders solicited. Catalogue and Directions upon request. E. HAYES, Inc. 582 Fifth Ave., N. Y. C. Only a Cohencidence said the dark man, “my name is Isaac Abraham Jacob Cohen, b don't like it. It cost me £20 the other da: How on earth was that?” asked his aid: 1 said, ‘Isase’Abrabads J and he said, ‘Are you a J , ‘Don’t be a fool!’ he fined me £20.” —London Dai The Celtic Touch Three gentlemen from Wels $ walked into a Manchester establishment and asked for three gla: of Vin Port. After smacking their lips one said: ook you! that’s the fin glass of port wine I’ve neffer taste: The second remarked : “So did I also! and the third capped it with: “Neither did I too!"—London Morning Post. Mesozoic Mode Davcuter: It says here in the paj they have a dinosaur on display at Bon Marché Mr. Neu : For heaven's s don’t tell your maw—she’ll want to | it and wear it to the dinner table. rida Times-Union. A ramous New York beauty has d appeared. Perhaps she washed it 0 —Rochester Herald FN RICHMOND STRAIGHT CUT MD CIGARETTES ~=>—~ URW FOOLISH CONTEMFO ES eae Like the hair, skin and teeth, one’s Things as They Are EYES are deserving of regular care. One morning while the children were A few drops of Murine, night and eating breakfast, Milford put two heap- morning, will drive away dullness ing spoonfuls of sugar in his cocoa. and keep them clear, bright and “I should think one spoonful would healthy. Absolutely harmless, be enough,” objected his sister. E “T should think so, too,” he replied; Time to Re-tire?. W rite MurineCompany,Dept.50, “put it ain’t.”—Farm and Fireside. Chicago, for FREE Eye Care Book INE The Rising Generation PHOTOGRAPHE! Watch, and you'll see your EYES, a pretty little dicky-bird come out. : Movern ‘Cuitp: Oh, don't be an ass Widely Used Since 1889 —expose your plate and let's get this over !—Royal Magasine, comicbooks.com