Life, 1924-09-18 · page 7 of 36
Life — September 18, 1924 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top cartoon** ("Her Bashful Fiancé Would Like the Goldfish Removed"): A social comedy about an awkward suitor. The joke relies on the absurd notion that a nervous fiancé would be bothered by a goldfish's presence during an intimate moment—suggesting his anxiety is so extreme he finds fault with trivial details rather than addressing the real situation. **Bottom cartoon** (circus scene with zebra): Depicts a lion-tamer and circus performers with a zebra. The caption reveals the humor: the lion-tamer no longer teases a "fat lady" because he fears her dog—inverting the expected power dynamic. The joke plays on circus sideshow stereotypes while suggesting even intimidating performers have something to fear. Both represent typical early-20th-century satirical humor about social awkwardness and absurd reversals.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
« LIFE: * What Makes Hay Fever So Terrible ON’T you do anything for it?” “Is it worse in the morning, or at night?” “How long do you have it?” “Have you tried Pike's Peak for it “Are you sure it’s really hay fever? “Why don't you do something for “It makes you feel miserable, doesn't it “Why don't you try sniffing camphor? “L knew a man who had it, but he cured himself. 1 think was with raw onion: “Is it worse in hot weather?” “It makes your nose red, doesn’t it?" “Can you sleep when you have it?” “Does it come from goldenrod or ragweed?” “It’s just like rose fever, isn't it? Or is it rose fever?” “Why don’t you go to a doctor “Is it worse in the morn—I asked you that, didn’t 1?” “Don't you do anything for Henry William Hanemann. Our Twentieth Century Auto-Vocabulary JAZZ MOSQUE—Gasoline-filling station; you know the kind. The Autonobility—The Four Hundred of the roads. Stop!—This is an abbreviation for the information that a hot dog is just ahead, The History of Our Country—*Five Miles from Here Is Somewhere- Else.” Olga Owens. HER BASHFUL FIANCE WOULD LIKE THE GOLDFISH REMOVED It Might Be Desirable “YES.” said old Mr. Brantwood, “next month is our golden wedding anniversary, All the children are going to gather at our eldest son’s house to celebrate it, and,” he added naively, “they want my wife and me to come, too.” N irate crossword-puzzle enthusiast angrily threw the dictionary in the corner. Crushed against the wall, its last words were zodtomy, zouave, zymology. “I NOTICE THE LION-TAMER DON'T TEASE THE FAT LADY ANY MORE.” “NO; HE'S AFRAID OF HER DOG.” comicbooks.com