Life, 1926-12-02 · page 22 of 81
Life — December 2, 1926 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Christmas-era *Life* magazine page contains several satirical pieces about post-WWI American society: **"The Smash"** (top illustration): Shows a crowded street scene with the caption mocking someone's distress over twenty cases of pre-war goods being damaged—satirizing the public's obsession with scarce luxury items and nostalgia for pre-war consumption. **"The Way of a Maid"** (Lloyd Mayer): A monologue mocking women's dependence on male pockets and attention, portraying women as scattered, demanding, and endlessly borrowing items. It's dated gender satire reflecting 1920s attitudes. **"First Payment"**: Jokes about post-war inflation and consumer culture—a man inherits fifty thousand dollars, immediately asks what he can buy on installment by putting fifty thousand down, implying prices have skyrocketed absurdly. **"From a Club Chair"**: Brief observations including mockery of nouveau-riche boasting about early aviation ownership, bank loan difficulties for war veterans, and cynical commentary on post-war economic hardship. **"Terrible!"**: A flirtatious dialogue joke about kissing. The page reflects 1920s anxieties about inflation, changing gender roles, and veterans' struggles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Smash “pon’? Look, EMMA—IT’s TOO AWPFUL—TWENTY CASES” PRE- war!" The Way of a Maid “HAVE you got a cigarette? I'm simply dying for a drag. Would you mind awfully if I gave you this scarf to keep for me? Would you object frightfully if I put my vanity in your overcoat pocket? Will you be raging with me if I give you my latchkey to keep for me? Have you got a cigarette? I keep dropping my purse all the time. It must be wonderful to have pock- ets. Did I give you my lip stick to keep for me? Why, I'm certain I did! I simply know you put it in one of your pockets when we left the house. Don’t you ever remember where you put things? Well, how could I remember it was in my vanity case? And, anyway, you did hi that in your pocket all the time. What on earth did I do with m scarf? Have you got a cigarette? Lloyd Mayer. USTOMER: Will it be all right if I put these violets in water? Frorist: Absolutely; these violets are guaranteed not to shrink. First Payment Husband: Gooo News, DEAR. MY UNCLE JUST DIED AND LEFT ME PTY THOUSAND. Now ‘3 SEE} WE BUY ON THE IN- WHAT CA STALLMENT PLAN AND PAY FIFTY THOUSAND DOWN ON? From a Club Chair E are now all set for the birth of a new aristocracy based on, “My father owned the first airplane in this section of the country.” ** «# Altogether too many drafts on the Bank of Information come back stamped, “Insufficient Funds.” ee # It seems that my war-veteran nephew has become a cynic. He requested his bank to renew his note and when they said something about the state of his account, he them it would be all right, was going to serve as a dollar- man in the next war. ** # ince he A dog’s faithfulness to its mas- ter is very touching indeed, but I wonder if it isn’t frequently a re- flection on the animal's intelligence. J. K. M. Terrible! LICE: If you kiss me again I'll, ri— Dick: What? “Do it again and see!” comicbooks.com