Life, 1927-08-18 · page 15 of 36
Life — August 18, 1927 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains a satirical diary entry dated July 27th, alongside a sketch titled "Detouring America." **The Diary Entry** mocks the author's literary pretensions and domestic frustrations. She mentions reading books by "John Duer, New York, 1891" and wishing her husband Sam possessed "literary inhibition" to discuss poetry and prose. She complains about writing as therapeutic escape from her constrained life—a critique of upper-class women's limited intellectual outlets and domestic entrapment. **The Illustration** shows passengers aboard what appears to be a ship or boat, depicting leisure-class entertainment and social interaction. **"Detouring America"** (bottom) appears to advertise travel content, referencing automotive tourism culture emerging in the 1920s-30s era. The overall satire targets bourgeois aspiration, marital dissatisfaction, and women's intellectual unfulfillment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LAN Wil od KA ‘1 i A) TALWAYS KEEP MYSELI tr’s ONLY THE SECOND DAY OUT, BUT IO CAN TELL vou sie’s TWENTY, THOVGIL SIE SAYS SHE'S SINTEEN. HER PATHER'S TO MYSELF AND A RETIRED WITISKY DISTILLER—POSsIBLY \ BOOTLEGGER, OR SOMETIUING—I KNOW VERY LITTLE AHOUT THESE THINGS AND SHR’S MAKING EVES AT THE SECOND AR L A) OFFICER, WILO HAS A WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN IN GLASGOW.” | Reps Diary . Kept to my bed all this he would do better Jy Gav sbecatise: fo alight Geehy lity lites incat bis my life, as T did sharply realize in this con kK when all the oa 27th indispositio make a beg s looking ind so did nection bein make an nning on some of the excellent am or to the Court of did on my books which T have been treasuring St. James f his handsome black 1 nd oso for dinner up to read when I did have the time. leg At my me of patience tthe fterwards | ind the first was “Trilby in an toa, with ne ess soever because o n talk edition which T did buy at a second- of a temperamental tendeney to place hand stall with “John Duer, New the high cards York, 1894" wrote on the fly leaf. before it is really and after finishing it T could not but needful to do se, wish that Sam were a Svengali with 1 weakness Id mes whieh T must at a literary inhibition, who cc merize me into producing marvelous — tend to, just as I w I should rel must look to sev- ugh the streets eral flaws in my verse and prase. I ish, too, driving th in an hypnotic state, for then Too character to should give no heed soever to dodgy whieh it. is) rel ing in and out of the elevated rail itive, for Lord! way’s pillars, and mayhap T should 1 would not be be able to cross Lexington Avenue a crochety old on foot without bursting into tears wennan for aught, Bat writing is one of the few occu- and the shadows pations at which I have not heard — will soon begin te my husband, poor wretch, assert that lengthen across Detouring America comicbooks.com