Life, 1926-08-12 · page 23 of 36
Life — August 12, 1926 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1926 *Life* magazine page satirizes summer leisure culture and urban growth through humor and statistics. **Top cartoon:** A couple in a car; the caption jokes that they've only met once—mocking the casual dating customs of the "Roaring Twenties." **"Week-End Statistics":** Faux-scientific humor about summer parties, fishing trips, and hiking. The joke: people lie about enjoying these activities ("It really isn't cold when you get in"), get drunk, and catch barely any fish despite consuming vast amounts of gasoline. **"Fellow Members" cartoon:** Shows a cop questioning a highwayman about a "license"—satirizing how both Republicans and newspapers blamed government scandals on corruption, yet both ignore actual crime. **"The Upward Race":** A short poem mocking how apartment building rents keep rising as fast as construction. **"Mamie, the Extra Girl":** Hollywood humor about casting directors treating actors as interchangeable "types," and how movie people prioritize business over artistic discussion. The overall tone: sophisticated mockery of 1920s consumer culture, dating, and urban expansion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
T YOU KISS HER OFTEN?” “HEAVENS, No! WE ONLY MET FACE TO FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY.” Week-End Statistics of the 12,908,632 people who went on week-end par- ties during the summer of 1926, up to and including August 7th, 12, 1 vowed they'd never do it giin. The other one died from his sunburn, Out of an estimated 689,003 men, women and children who » dur- ing the month of July alone, “It really isn’t cold when you get in,” 389.003 could have been con- victed of perjury had the charges been pressed. Up to an early hour this ning only two cases of Mah Jong were reported as existing at week-end parties. The authorities have taken immediate action to quaran- tine them. Of the 7,276 men who went on fishing trips, 7,270 took more than four bottles with The other six drank theirs before they left. Of the 12 tons of fish that were caught in the Michigan Wisconsin lake districts, ve pounds were actually fish. Hikers walked an aggre- » of 14,287 miles, consum- ing approximately 148 gal- Ort them, lons of gasoline purchased by total strangers. Upon these statistics i based the movement to have hiking boots called riding boots. Carroll Carroll. Fellow Members “RHE papers always make these Government scandals a lot worse than they really are.” “I'm a Republican, too.” Cop: Wey, WHERE’S YER HIGHWAYMAN’S LICENSE? The Upward Race APARTME . buildings still keep rising higher; They tower above like lofty monu- ments, Apartment buildings still keep ris- ing higher, And higher still, still higher, rise the rents, ALN. Mamie, the Extra Girl WHEN my friend Gertie gets to feeling low, she digs out a letter of recom- mendation she got from the boss of the Silver Spoon Res- taurant back home, and finds out what a fine girl she is. se # Around Hollywood, they are beginning to refer to the casting directors as type setters. oe I get quite a wallop out of watching the tour mistake each other for movie stars. _* * Some of the movie folks talk a lot about Art in the evening, but they never let it interfere with business the next day. S.A. S. comicbooks.com