Life, 1926-06-24 · page 12 of 41
Life — June 24, 1926 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes nostalgia for the 1890s. An adult man swings a tennis racket at children in a street scene outside a livery stable, captioned with mock-heroic language praising "bill tides' s of the nineties" as heroic pioneers. The joke targets sentimental romanticization of the past: the caption's grandiose tone contrasts absurdly with the mundane, slightly chaotic reality depicted—children playing, ordinary street life. The man's aggressive tennis swing adds physical comedy. The satire suggests that those who idealize "the good old days" ignore or exaggerate their actual character. By comparing ordinary 1890s street activity to "heroic pioneers," the cartoonist mocks the tendency to mythologize recent history rather than see it clearly.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“rnimty lov , PIONEERS THAN THE DEUCE What to See in Paris Important Facts, Hitherto Unpublished IFFEL TOWER. ture, which successfully resisted all Sce this struc- attacks of the keenest souvenir hunters in the world, You 4 members of the A. E. F Longchamps. Visit the middle grand- ask to sce the t, where a certain game, succeed where failed. wine cellar stand and under known as craps, once flourished undetected Ire de Triomphe. Note the chains harring vehicular trafic. Two drinks of cognac and the aré esire to be able to boast of having driven a flivver through the arch explain the battered padlock, if it is still there THE GAY NINETIES “your serve, dearest!” NO SPORT WILL EVER KNOW MORE HEROIC BILL TILDEN $ OF THE NINETIES WHO HAD TO PASS THE LIVERY STABLE IN FULL TENNIS REGALIA, Boulevard des Italiens The place where you will find mesdemoi selles who still remember * “Smit-tee” or “Onrce.” Metro or Nord-Sud. h the tourist invariably first-class, talks in a loud voice ted that none of the one Bootch™ o: Subways takes it for other passengers understands English. Gaumont Palace. A movie theatre, where you can really enjoy an Ameri can film. Be sure to tip the usher, order a drink, and keep your hat on Folics-Bergére. Just go. Bill § ARL CARROL “That Certain Party of favorite song: Mine.” Foolish Questions of 1926 cherries? O you care for brandied Does that bricklayer own a car? Is there a filling station near here? Are you fond of the old danc Is this the first time either of them has been married? Were pendiciti wa ever operated on for ap- Are your doctor’s charges moderate? Were yor Did you Sunday ? Is there a roadhouse out from this ever arrested for speeding? folks stay at home last town? Do you like the saxophone? Marion E, Burns, comicbooks.com