Life, 1926-06-03 · page 17 of 44
Life — June 3, 1926 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes a wealthy society auction, likely from the 1920s. The top cartoon shows an elegant party viewing items for sale at what's called the "White Elephant" table—a social tradition where affluent people donated unwanted possessions to charity auctions. The text describes humorous bidding competition among socialites. The caption beneath the lower illustration reads "Knocked down to Mrs. Pritchett the two-fifty," indicating Mrs. Pritchett won an item for $250—substantial money at the time. The satire targets upper-class pretension: wealthy individuals disposing of their excess possessions while congratulating themselves for charity, with the implicit humor that one person's "trash" auction becomes another's prized acquisition. The cartoons mock both the conspicuous consumption and the social theater surrounding such events.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
the booths while Steward s stood in the hung over what offing what remained of his Elephant” tabl art Jrove nails in the maple contrib talked dotted Swiss at me,” which they the vofner, Louise Hoofner hments were sold. Fi once the deadly n to look like ker room did not nection furiously was where the invaluable h Handyman ,H ner made a few alled to the front to as soon as me male com residuum. Bert was i cried Mrs, Vetch, holding up straw dingus woven scream- ing primary colors, “Cuban chair-hack,” said Mrs. Pritchett, with a. tinge f { hau Miss Flamm, in the “of r wn next item...” table woodland bower o'er which prac to tt for two-fifty t 1 you see, likes the unt B; tt 1 ta t make s a matter of fact the dogwood almo: HANK Hea ere come men,” so prominent that he bow fense immediately turned the color of had tect id Lois Libby, \ ith some of the In this way he disposed of a vast amount of nd dre M over the place. However, g ith ill ee at f ices t it was unnoticed in the press of kindly folk t the matrons in Fatimas at Dimi- large for this talent est who fi about the booth wer flowed Y s. The market rose perceptibly He did t ark once. He sold, the piazza, where tea, coffee and other ! dded buying-power and the ro . ; rs, Mrs, Tutt t trips the le r panions arrived. The sale began at three I have here,” he p . n t Motors packed the parking space and gen- _ nificent kewpie doll, R ks in Tiew erous buyers packed the Club. her own head-gear What in the we is that?” T net precer a 1 teur; “they're very smart for porch furniture.” The t h is. that hought fifty of these articles in Havana fc it ten ce They were his presents for all his fr sold with great success for a dollar a throw. Mesdames Coit and Brigham clashed lightly over a luscious ded ds The — remaind with hands, They reach and neck, eyes | were polite er cept a ( W bef t Solomon's verdict of half a cake 1 f ” comicbooks.com