Life, 1926-09-30 · page 14 of 36
Life — September 30, 1926 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration depicts a bustling street scene labeled "The Gay Nineties," showing well-dressed crowds in late 19th-century New York. The caption explains that during this era, "sidewalks of New York" were popular gathering spots where small-town business interrupted by musical entertainment ("ta-ra-ba boom-de-ay") drew crowds. Horse owners would rush out to watch minstrel parades pass by. The satire targets nostalgia for a simpler past: the image celebrates turn-of-the-century urban life's casual pleasures—street entertainment, community gathering, and public spectacle—contrasting implicitly with whatever modern complications existed when this piece was published. Below are two brief comic sketches: "Accessory" (a legal joke about witnessing a robbery) and "Can't Be Too Careful" (a barber-shop humor piece), typical filler content for the magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Gay Nineties BACK IN THE HALCYON DAYS WHEN “THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK” WAS A POPULAR SONG INSTEAD OF A POLITICAL SLOGAN, THE BUSINESS DAY OF SMALL TOWNS WAS PERIODICALLY INTERRUPTED BY THE CLARION STRAINS OF “TA-RA-RA BOOM-DE ay” AND “ HOT TIME THE OLD TOWN TO-NIGHT.” WHEREUPON ERY BODY— CIALLY THOSE WHO OWNED HORSES PARKE: EAR MAIN STREET—-WOULD RUSH OUT TO WATCH THE MINSTREL PARADE PASS BY. Accessory “TYID you not know,” demanded the Judge sternly, “that one who witnes a crime and refuses to take action is culpable as an ac “Yes,” I muttered, and hung mj “And you not only saw the victim being robbed and beaten, but crossed the et and laughed ?” “Yes,” I muttered ag: “An astounding admission, sir! And you had never scen the victim before?” “Oh, yes, Your Honor. Last summer, at the Ponti- cooset House, on the Island.” “Well?” “He was the guest who practiced the cornet, Your Honor.” “What? The last two weeks in August?” “Yes, Your Honor.” With a high, angry scream, the Judge leaped over the railing and into the ranks of the ace ries. Stanley Jones Can’t Be Too Careful BARBER: Hair-cut, sir? Customer: Yes, but don’t make it too short; I don’t want to look effeminate. who nose I how I bef all “Fr I so | “M cen luc] mor ] ten may con comicbooks.com