Life, 1927-09-15 · page 17 of 40
Life — September 15, 1927 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct humorous pieces typical of early-20th-century satirical magazines: 1. **Top cartoon**: A woman asks a bookseller for "a nice book" suitable for her living room table, preferring mahogany furniture. The joke mocks pretentious home decorating—prioritizing how books look over their content. 2. **"Special for the Day"**: A dialogue satirizing aggressive sales tactics. A customer and salesman debate whether "fresh" goods (likely produce) are actually fresh, with the salesman using circular logic and dismissive attitudes toward customer concerns. It critiques deceptive retail practices. 3. **"Through the Ages—IV"**: A fashion illustration contrasting historical dress with modern attire, labeled with period-appropriate dialogue about dancing and formality—likely commenting on changing social conventions. The overall theme: consumerism, sales manipulation, and social pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“L WANT A NICE BOOK “YES, MADAM; AND WIEVT sor OF HOOK ? ONE TO PUT ON MY LIVING-ROOM TABLE. IT's MAILOGANY.” Special for the Day SAYS ta him, I says, ‘You think ye're fresh, dont-...Onessly, Beertriss, Twas mad enough ta put tha cha? I says. ‘Think ye're fresh, pinchin’ guyls, soup inniz lap an’ ya woon't ‘a’ blameme if I'd done it— huh?" T says. ‘Well,’ I says f gettin’ fresh an’ pinchin’ me anever- as fresh as ya think yarr, xs ° thin’....An’ he wasn't even good- ony think ye're fresh—' an’ onessiy, i lookun’, tha fresh thing!” H. FY Beertriss, yotta seen im... .Onessly, he tuyned tha color a’ that salmon salad What the Filling-Station there, he onessly did....He wonever / Attendant Said gefresh wimme again, but onessly, Beer- . triss, I think issawful the way these rs Or, Just Another Fairy Story birds gefresh an’ pinch ya aneverthin’ “LOW much is your gas to-day?” an’ T onessly never givvim any reason — “Eighteen cents, lady.” ta gefresh....1 says, ‘Ya think a guyl “Didn't T see some back along the has no self-respeck, huh, annat she's road for seventeen?” gonna let ya gefresh an’ pincher an- Vell , “Perhaps. Some places it’s nineteen everthin’ juss because ya feel fresh,’ I ind twenty. Eighteen is a fair price says. ‘Well,’ T says, ‘ya can’t gefresh d and about the average. Shall 1 put in wimme, see 1 sh, Tl 4 five gall tell tha manage I says, “No; put in three. Wait! Put in ‘tha manager don't allow no customer gallon and then some air in’ my ta gefresh with any a’ tha guyls, I é and see if I need any water.” says, ‘an’ anyhow,” I says, ‘yain't so a I give you the gas and Sam will fresh as ya think yarr! I says, an’ give you the air and water.” he shut) right) up an’ din’t say I Vhere is Sam?" another wuyd. Not another wuyd. “He's down the road about a mile.” Onessly, he was seared ta eat his soup “Why—but I can’t wait for Sam! —it was comical, Beertriss, onessly, it 4 “He's waiting for you. He runs the was comical. Now woon't you ‘a’ done filling-station where you're x to fill what I done toim?...S .'Sthe ony up with seventeen-cent gas. way ta tr ell | getresh every Through the Ages—IV : Bill Sykes. time they get ac : ‘t. She: Gostt—a'm sunk. 1 ~ showem ya self-res pee ays,‘ HAVEN'T A thing To wear. HAT'S a scismograph?” think 4 fresh, dontch ays,an’ He: vine! wet Go somE- “A ringside seat for an earth- he tuyned juss tha color a’ that salmon, WHERE AND DANCE. quake.” comicbooks.com