Life, 1924-08-28 · page 22 of 36
Life — August 28, 1924 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from Life satirizes early 20th-century gender relations through humor. The top cartoon jokes about philosophy and parental authority—two young men debate whether "life is just a gamble," with one noting parents make it so by their unpredictability. The "Feminist Chronology" is the page's main satire: a mock timeline tracing human "progress" backward from 4000 B.C. to 1924 A.D., presenting women's increasing independence and changing social roles as absurd historical "inventions"—divorce (2000 A.D.), women smoking in public (1904), the "flapper" (1921), even alimony (1562). The humor is misogynistic, mocking women's liberation by treating their freedoms as ridiculous milestones. The remaining pieces—"A Fable for Radio Fiends" and "Lost Opportunity"—are unrelated joke features typical of Life's format. The page reflects 1920s attitudes toward feminism: conservative resistance presented as lighthearted comedy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He (a youthful philosopher): wire 1s JUST A GAMBLE, IT CERTAINLY IS WITH THE PARENTS ONE HAS NOWADAYS, (another one): Feminist Chronology C. 4000—Man discovered. * 3999—Man found guilty. 3942—Other woman discovered. }0—Triangle perfected. 2901—Furs_ made into apparel. 2900—First furs worn in summer. 2812—Quadrangle perfected. 2501—Babylon restaurateur opens roof garden. 2500—Summer resorts founded. 2499—First boyish bob. 2100—Jewelry introduced. 2000—Divorce invented. 1998—Marriage invented. 1929—Dieting to reduce begins. 1500—Cave man disappears. 1100—First bride runs home to mother. 498—Bargain sale held for first time. 300—Business men start plaining of that feeling. . 150—Salad dressing introduced. 10—True purpose of paint dis- covered, 51—Servant problem becomes acute. 102—First wife persuades hus- band that he should dress for dinner. 253—Girl decides to have career of her own. 839—Disloyal woman suggests granting men equal rights. 1116—First matince. 1562—Alimony invented. wearing com- tired A.D. 1800—Lady discovers _gentle- man’s wife does not un- derstand him. 1801—Lady discovers neither does she. 1850—First golf widow widowed. 1892—Ice-cream soda in- vented. 1896—First delicatessen store opened. 1900—Nut sundaes _in- vented. 1904—First woman smokes in public. 1905—Reno discovered. 1910—Photos of ac- tresses no longer included in cig- arette boxes. 1912-H ollywood founded. 1914—Facial mud _ packs introduced 1920—Jazz perfected. 1921—Flapper realizes the futility of it all. 1922—Scott _ Fitzgerald sails for Europe. 1923—Movie star denies being present when he was shot. 1924—Automobile adver- tisements are written to influ- ence the women in the family. James K. McGuinness. A Fable for Radio Fiends THE Prince entered the room where the Sleeping Beauty lay slumbering About her lay the various members of the court in the attitudes in which they too had fallen asleep. Breathlessly the Prince leaned over the Sleeping Beauty and imprinted upor her brow the magic kiss of awakening One by one the assembled sleeper returned to consciousness. The King was the first to speak. “As | was ing,” he murmured a he rubbed his eyes, “as soon as we coupled the variometer to the grid leal and eliminated our inductance with five stages of amplification 4g Baron Ireland, Lost Opportunity ADY VISITOR (to prisoner) I should think you'd go insane be- hind those bars ! Prisoner: Too late fer that now, I should have done it before the trial \/ARIATION- Where there's smoke there must be a sky-writer. Man in Boat: ut, yun CuumP! r1’s LOW TIDE AN’ THEY’S ONLY TWO FOOT 0’ WATER IN HERE, comicbooks.com