Life, 1926-02-11 · page 16 of 40
Life — February 11, 1926 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the economic struggles and exploitation of young working-class women in early 20th-century America. It traces "Fanny Doolan" from 1903 (age 8, unpaid factory work) through 1926 (age 23, married and divorced), documenting her declining wages and worsening conditions despite gaining experience. The progression shows how industrialization trapped women in low-paying jobs with minimal advancement. The accompanying cartoon mocks gender discrimination in office workplaces, depicting a female employee requesting a raise while her male boss dismisses her as merely a "stenographer" rather than deserving of secretarial status—reflecting period attitudes about women's professional worth and the deliberate semantic downgrading of women's labor to justify lower pay.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
x ndecney oe THE GIRL WHO WENT TO NEW YORK TO WRITE Biography of a Working Girl FE 1903—Born. No work. N 1911—Age: 8. Fanny machin Doolan wages, ta fine job feeding a na factory. Lots of other little girls envied Fa Hours Every day 14 Wages........Every week $5.00 1919—Age: 16. Fanny's family moved to New York. Fanny a job ina big department €. She thought she was in clover. Hours Every day: 8 Wages . Every week $9.00 1921—Age: 18 Doolan pleased a customer, an influential lady, who got her a job as a mannequin. H Every day: 6 Salary....... Every week: $40.00 1923—Age: 20. Frances Dulane (née Doolan) walk : ber in a big revue. She stayed, 1 on in a fashion n working right into the chorus. Hours... Salary Fran [ Every night: 3 very week : $60.00 lane married a big butter-and-egg man. The mar- riage didn’t take, They parted and Fran divorced him. 1926—Age: Day or night: 0 Every week : $250.00 Bertram Bloch. Hours. Alim Sequel SWE Annabel Jones was the belle of the town, and had oodles of chances to wed, and the mail she re- 1 St. Valentine's Day was enough to turn any girl's head; for Farmer Perdue sent her violets blue, with a motto in gold, “Ever thine!” and Jenks, the cash grocer, was lavish with fruit, in a basket o: ty design; old Henry Jerome of Ye Toggerie Shoppe chose lilies to strengthen his case; Al Smithers, the druggist, hearts in a casket of satin and lace; while Perkins, the plumber, sent orchids galore—he was rich and quite willing to show it, But Annabel married young Horace Van Loon, because he was blond and a poet. he years have rolled on and each Valentine month brings mail to sweet Annabel's door, but somchow the tokens from all her old beaux don't waken the raptures of yore; for Farmer Perdue sends a memo for milk, and Jenks over- charges for meats; old Henry Jerome sternly duns for a gown, the druggist for payment entreats; the plumber’s account is a staggering nnabel’s ills—poor Horace Van Loon h to settle their midwinter bills! Corinne Rockwell Swain ceived t chocolate sum, and—sorest of can’t make money em Note on Farces “THE spirit of a French farce is a man under a bed; the f an American farce is a man under an automo- bile, and the spirit of an weather. spirit o lish farce is a man under the IMILE 1926: As forgetful as an Attorney-General before a Senatorial investigating committee. “MR. DIPLEY, I THINK 1 DESERVE A RAISE.” “L CAN'T AFFORD IT, BUT YOU CAN CALL YOURSELF A PRIVATE SFCRETARY INSTEAD OF A STENOGRAPHER,” comicbooks.com