Life, 1926-12-02 · page 53 of 81
Life — December 2, 1926 — page 53: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several short satirical pieces typical of Life magazine's humor: **"Obviously Bold"** mocks flirtation and printing technology with a quip about a man kissing a woman's lips in print. **"The Post-Graduate Wife"** satirizes the ideal 1920s wife who flatters her husband's competence, encourages his leisure activities, hosts business dinners without complaint, and dresses provocatively while avoiding his criticism—all through strategic manipulation framed as support. **"The Modern Aesop"** presents three brief moral fables mocking vanity (a stag admiring himself as a "movie actor"), logic (buying a cat to eat mice), and nostalgia (finding a snake harmless in "the happy days"). **"Cautious"** uses dialect humor featuring a Black preacher cautiously avoiding choosing between ham and chicken at Christmas dinner—a stereotype-based joke. **"Definition of a Bank"** jokes that bankers use morning meetings to organize golf foursomes rather than conduct business. The large illustration of a dog "treed" by a Christmas tree with ornaments depicts slapstick holiday chaos. These pieces reflect early-20th-century American magazine humor conventions, including now-offensive racial stereotypes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
— Obviously Bold “pip YoU OBJECT WHEN HE PRINTED A KISS ON YOUR Lips?” “xo, BECAUSE I RATHER LIKED HIS TYPE.” The Post-Graduate Wife N° matter how long it takes her husband to start the car on a cold night she never offers any com- ment. Instead, she waits till it re- sponds and then remarks that it must be wonderful to be so clever and always know just what to do. No wonder she rides in such a nice car. She encourages him to go skating, knowing that the sooner he goes the sooner he'll get over it. She doesn’t balk at having people in for dinner for business reasons, for she is a good sport and believes husbands and wives should bear hardships together. She is a smart woman. She can wear just as little as his secretary and yet seem to be so warmly clad that he doesn’t growl at her about catching cold. McC, H,. The Modern sop Tur Stag anv tur Poow 1) tag stood admiring his reflection in a pool. Monat: He was a movie actor. Tur Car anv tHE Mice A man whose house was infested with mice bought a cat to eat them all up. This the cat did. Monat: Tell it to Lincoln C. An- drews, Tue Vittacer anp THE SNAKE One cold night a Villager, stag- gering homeward, saw a snake under a hedge. Morat: Those were the happy days! Christmas JT, 7 (Se Xomber Cautious ‘THE colored parson was to have his Christmas dinner with - the family of Sam Jackson. “Which does yo'-all prefer, Pah- son,” Sam asked, “baked ham or roas’ chicken?” “Son,” replied the preacher, “it am extremely difficult fo’ me to express a pref'rence atween de two. Better be on de safe side an’ have bofe ob “em.” EFINITION of a Bank: A place where the officers meet every morning to make up four- somes, comicbooks.com