Life, 1925-08-06 · page 21 of 36
Life — August 6, 1925 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early 20th-century tennis culture and its social pretensions. The cartoons mock several aspects: **The Fashion Obsession**: Multiple panels highlight how appearance—blazers, headbands ("Lenglen bandeau"), clothing—matters more to players than actual skill. One character picks a player based on his stylish blazer rather than ability. **Generational Complaints**: An older player laments that tennis has "changed greatly" and he struggles to cover the court, contrasting modern play with his youth. **The "Wills Effect"**: References what appears to be a popular tennis player (likely Helen Wills), whose influence shapes fashion and playing style. **Amateur vs. Professional Pretense**: A long-time amateur player still hasn't mastered basics despite years of play. **Gender and Propriety**: References to "daring" female players and their fashion choices suggest contemporary anxieties about women's athletic participation and changing social norms. The overall satire targets tennis's transformation from serious sport into a venue for displaying wealth, fashion, and social status.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHERE THE FOREIGN IN- VADERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE TILDEN, “VyOU'VE GOT THE BEST SERVE, TOM, BUTT THINK V'LL PICK BILL; 1 LIKE HIS BLAZER BETTER.” THE WILLS EFFECT, “TENNIS MAS CHANGED GREATLY SINCE 1 WAS A BOY. NOW THERE ARE MOMENTS WHEN I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COVER THE couRT.” THERE MAY BE SOMETHING THR MAT- w FOREHAND—HIS BACK Me'S BREEN PLAYING FOR YRARS AND , HAND, SERVE, GROUND STROKFS AND STILE EES (JUST AM AMATEUR: 0 VOLLEYS—nUT WHEN IT COMFS TO | } A CLOTHES—WELL—— THE LENGLEN BANDEAU 18 VERY BECOM- ING—AND THEN AGAIN: anh | aan | THE DARING MISS BANGS, TMAT GRANDDAD.SAID LOOKED SO CHARM- “=< 7 qeneiliggst———a AO — ING AT TENNIS. Novice: 1 SAY, DO YOU BAT THE BALLS TO ME OR DO I HAVE TO RUN AFTER THEM? Singles and Doubles comicbooks.com