Life, 1923-12-20 · page 15 of 36
Life — December 20, 1923 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts two men viewing what appears to be a large painting or artwork in a gallery. The caption attributes a quote to "Professor Van Dyke" claiming there are "only thirty-five genuine Rembrandts in existence," with the humorous response that "That's so! Well, I sh'd worry! We got fifteen of them." This satirizes American wealthy collectors' acquisitions of European art, particularly Old Masters. The joke suggests that American millionaires were buying so many paintings claimed to be genuine Rembrandts that their collection alone exceeded the supposed total number in existence—implying either the paintings were forgeries or "Professor Van Dyke's" expertise was questionable. It mocks both American nouveau-riche art collecting and European art authentication during the Gilded Age.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life Lines ‘VERY American boy has a chance to become President and every nan boy runs the risk of being l upon to form a new Cabinet. : JL sionary work in Africa is gradually ng church members of the natives, will soon be free to devote their lays to African golf. aL Careful investigators estimate that if manufacturers of home brew were | end to end they would reach from York to Munich but never back aL is announced that the Ford party | have no platform. ! y intend to call it a “run- !'-rhaps the: board.” aL lortunately for American tourists, the preciation of the French france has been accompanied by a correspond- decline of the Latin Quarter. aL Secretary Mellon aims to eliminate all ‘uisance Taxes"”—or, in fewer words, aL is worth noting that the ex-Crown rince did not venture into the Father- | until Grover Cleveland Bergdoll d given the place a thorough trial. aL rope has struggled through another ir without being saved by the United tates—unless, of course, our policy in s respect has saved Europe a lot wre than we think. aL he skyline of New York is reported be moving. It is probably trying to ct out of the way of the traffic. +L he pouch of the pelican, says a noted nithologist, is large enough to con- in seven quarts. Vederal agents are on the lookout for ny bright bootleggers attempting to ross the pelican with the carrier igeon, aL \s he approaches the new year, the ndependent citizen consoles himself with the reflection that he can either take it or leap it. THIS—ER—PROF! GENUDD 2 Cravsus: 18 THAT SO! WELL, yT FIFTEEN O° THEM, This Going South Business I DON’T care anything about going South for the winter; I don’t mind the cold weather, and I enjoy being here with my friends, and I am interested in my business, and I rather like the snow—but J will go South; I shall probably have to stand up from the Pennsylvania Station to the Florida coast, and the Scotch whisky is not so much cheaper there as to offset the tips; I shall see all the people I know (which I don’t care much about), and all the people I know will see me (which may turn out to be inconve- nient), and there are various other draw- backs, such as very wet weather in- stead of snow, hut there is this, and on the strength of it I have packed the trunks and stored the automobile and rented the house and closed up the office: I shall get away from those who have returned! B. F. Rivals BITTER lot for me each morn Does soulless fate design. My wife eyes wistfully at day Another face than mine! She feels the beck of other hands, While jealous fiends me mock ; She thrills at tones that are not mine My rival is the clock! * comicbooks.com