Life — November 25, 1926 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation for Modern Readers This 1920s *Life* magazine page contains two satirical pieces: **Top:** "Shakespeare on the Radio" mocks radio as a noisy nuisance, using Shakespeare's famous quote to suggest the medium makes listening pointless. **Main cartoon:** "If Ladies Exhibited Their Husbands as They Do Their Dogs and Children" satirizes how women publicly display and brag about their husbands' professional accomplishments. Mrs. Smith boasts that her husband James is "a great, big little man" and "the very nicest man in the office"—reducing him to a trophy-like possession, much as women might show off prize dogs or children. The humor targets how wives publicly perform their husbands' worth rather than recognizing them as independent individuals. **Right side:** Advertisements for automobiles and a joke about radio debt collectors.