Life, 1926-03-18 · page 44 of 44
Life — March 18, 1926 — page 44: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertisement for Ipswich hosiery**, not political satire. The illustration shows two well-dressed men in business attire discussing socks/stockings at a desk. The text's humor references **St. Patrick's Day** (March 17th), joking that wearing "Nassau colors" (orange and green—Irish heraldic colors) on that date is considered unlucky, similar to wearing red at a bullfight. This is satirizing Irish-American cultural pride and superstitions. The advertisement positions men's colorful socks as a modern luxury, contrasting with the past when men only wore plain black cotton. It references **Beau Brummel**, the famous 19th-century British dandy known for fashionable dress, suggesting that stylish hosiery was previously unaffordable but is now accessible. The cartoon's tone is lighthearted—essentially selling colored socks by mocking outdated masculine fashion restrictions and appealing to readers' desire for variety and sophistication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The WEARING OF THE —or of any other color—is now almost entirely a question of personal preference. But it is still considered unlucky to wear red to a bull fight or to express one’s self in the heraldic colors of Nassau on March 17th. Gone are the days when the mas- culine ankle—such as it is—had nothing to wear but black cotton day in and day out, the year round. The fine fabrics, striking patterns and cheerful colors of Ipswich Hosiery for men offer a variety that would have satisfied the great Beau Brummel, at a price that would have delighted him in even his most thrifty moments. IPSWICH 2¢.4e HOSIERY ¢ + IPSWICH MILLS, Ipswich, Mass. ’ ' Lawrence & Co., Sole Selling Agents *¢ © Comicbooks#-gm