Life, 1924-08-07 · page 5 of 36
Life — August 7, 1924 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains poetry and satirical illustrations. The title poem "Portrait of a Lady" by Dorothy Parker uses ironic romanticism—the speaker claims devotion while admitting the lady will "never know" his true feelings, suggesting emotional distance masked by performance. The lower cartoon titled "How Time Flies" depicts a couple in wartime. The man mentions "the war started ten years ago to-day," and the woman responds "WHAT WAR?"—satirizing how civilians, particularly women removed from combat, lose track of or remain indifferent to ongoing military conflict. The illustration suggests the disconnect between those experiencing war's reality and those insulated from it, likely referencing World War I (given the publication era and the "ten years" reference).
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Portrait of a Lady H, I can smile for you, and tilt my head, And drink your rushing words with eager lips, And paint my mouth for you a fragrant red, And trace your brows with tutored finger-tips, When you rehearse your list of loves to me, Oh, I can laugh and marvel, rapturous-eyed. And you laugh back, nor can you ever see The thousand little deaths my heart has diced. And you believe, so well I know my part, That I am gay as morning, light as snow, And all the straining things within my heart You'll never know. Oh, I can laugh and listen, when we meet, And you bring tales of fresh adventurings,— Of ladies delicately indiscreet, Of lingering hands, and gently whispered things. And you are pleased with me, and strive anew To sing me sagas of your last delights. Thus do you want me—marveling, Nor do you sce my staring And when, in search of novelt , and truc, of nights, you stray, Oh, I can kiss you blithely as you go... And what goes on, my love, while you're away, You'll never know. Dorothy Parker. HOW TIME FLIES He: vo YOU REALIZE THAT THE WAR STARTED TEN YEARS AGO TO-DAY? She: WHAT war? comicbooks.com