Life, 1925-07-30 · page 12 of 36
Life — July 30, 1925 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains three distinct pieces of satirical content: **"The Peerless Wife"** (main article) satirizes the "ideal wife" through ironic praise. Rather than celebrating a woman's independence, it mocks societal expectations by listing behaviors considered desirable: she doesn't interrupt finances, never complains, doesn't sing or hum while motoring, keeps scandals hidden, and "never goes upon a diet." The satire critiques how women were expected to be invisible, undemanding, and self-effacing in early 20th-century marriages. **The cartoons above** depict what appears to be a film production scene with the caption "Director: HEY, YOU POOR SAP—YOU PICKED THE WRONG CLIFF!" This mocks silent-era filmmaking's theatrical dangers and possibly critiques early cinema's recklessness. The remaining items are brief humorous notes and an advertisement, not substantial satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Director: WEY, YOU POOR SAP—YOU PICKED THE WRONG CLIFF! SHE pays her own bridge debts. She does not interrupt her hus- band’s perusal of the financial pages with such observations as: “I heard to-day that the Jones boy didn’t gradu- ate at all last month, although the family pretend he did. Nina Smith was up in New Haven yesterday, and she went to the registrar's and looked him up.” She does not sing or hum, When motoring, she docs not call at- tention to various objects along the road. She keeps scandal about the servants entirely to herself. She always has something to wear. All she knows—or cares to know— about her husband's business is that he is a lawyer—or a dentist, plumber, diplomat, ete. She does not want to start for a train or the theatre an hour before the gate opens or the curtain riscs. She never goes upon a dict. She does not greet her husband, upon his return from a session at poker, with any questions as to the outcome of the game. She does not quote poetry. The Peerless Wife She never insists that her husband should read this or that which she has come across in a magazine. She is an orphan. She can walk through a department store without momentarily mistaking herself for a millionairess. On the rare occasions when she tells a story, she remembers the point. She never says, “Where have you heen?” She doesn’t care what the neighbors have or think. Our Own News Reel Speed demons flirt with Death in annual race classic at Indianapolis, Indiana! She has never heard any of her hus- band's stories before. She never notices whom her husband is dancing with. She never insists on her husband's eating more or less than he wants to. She loves the smell of a pipe or cigar. She does not use tears as a weapon. She is punctual herself, and tolerant of any unpunctuality on her husband's part. She does not consider misplaced cigarette ashes or white rings on the furniture as penitentiary offenses. She keeps her face straight when she compliments her husband. Try to find her! Baird Leonard. The Sunken Gardens ’ HY is Smith taking deep-sea div- ing lessons?” “He is going to Florida next month to look at some land he bought from a friend of his.” ODERNISM—“Our tastes are con- genial—neither of us can save money—so let’s get married.” comicbooks.com