Life, 1926-03-04 · page 25 of 40
Life — March 4, 1926 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon, titled "The Gay Nineties," depicts a nostalgic scene of 1890s street life: a horse-drawn carriage with a coachman and elegantly dressed passengers. The caption "Handsome was as Hansom did" is a play on the phrase "handsome is as handsome does"—suggesting that the era's romantic appeal lay in its stylish transportation and social customs. Below, the page advertises radio technology and accessories as "The Complete Set." The satirical text humorously anthropomorphizes the radio, describing it as temperamental and opinionated—it provides excuses for poor reception, refuses to bring in certain stations, and will "drawl" cynical comments about music quality. The joke contrasts nostalgic 1890s elegance with modern 1920s-30s radio technology, poking fun at consumers' eagerness to own the latest gadgets while these new devices remain unreliable and temperamental. The "Now You Tell One" section appears to be a joke feature mocking Prohibition enforcement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE GAY NINETIES . . HANDSOME WAS AS HANSOS T he Complete Set mat P Itt the I ‘aph attachment whic record when the It has an improved detec 1 with whi slightest hint of a yawn | Wayne G, It murmurs, “Yi when the owner is 1 is Selectivity Plus distance record's being well received “HOW'S sour radio?” It has moments of cynical frankness ; ; when it is apt to drawl, “Yes, a radio is great fun sometimes, but sometimes a tenor.” cheese sandwich is lots more ent taining.” f i " HE make-up Henry It is politely silent when the owner jazz orchestra, we ut 1, will expresses confidence in his ability to not be ¢ ntil he can find make a complete set himself spare parts comicbooks.com