Life, 1928-01-26 · page 12 of 34
Life — January 26, 1928 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon mocks outdated 1890s social conventions about women's modesty. The caption quotes "Grandma Sawyer" claiming that no "real lady" would cross her knees—implying that doing so was scandalous. The joke is that by the time this was published (appears to be early 1900s), fashion had changed; women could now wear crossed-knee skirts without losing respectability, making the old rule absurd. The accompanying article humorously extends this satirical premise, listing absurdly specific dining times for various restaurant scenarios, poking fun at excessive etiquette rules generally. The overall message: social conventions that seemed serious in the 1890s now appear ridiculous, and modern readers should recognize how arbitrary such "rules" were.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
I ic BR ray patina wort tion othe B tion: all | C the s righ befo is ai un tion show coun and mor for | an DR The Gay Nineties “What will that young man think of you?” croaked Grandma Sawyer, back in the days when women were supposed to be legless. “Twice to-night you crossed your knees—and no real lady ever crosses her knees.” But of course this was before the fashions made crossed knees the only alternative left for a real lady wishing to stay a lady. “Reading Time—Seventeen Minutes, Thirty Seconds” OW that Liberty warns its readers in advance that it is going to take them so many minutes and so many seconds to read an article or a story, why couldn't the same idea be extended elsewhere? For example, menus in the railroad restaurant might help the nervous traveler as follows: Spaghetti—if you know how—Ten Minutes; if an amateur—Figure on a later train. Grapefruit—if alone, Seven Minutes; with opponent seated opposite—An additional Ten Minutes. French Dishes—if a Greek waiter—Fifteen Minutes; if a German waiter—Twenty Minutes; if a French waiter—You had better give it up entirely and shift to bacon and eggs—he understands your English all right. And some of the other publications might fall in line thus: Sunday Edition New York Times—Two Years, Fifty-Five Days, Forty-Three Minutes. Editorial Page Saturday Evening Post— Why bother? New York Graphic — blindfolded — Thirty Seconds; without the blindfold — Thirty Seconds. True Story — Better do your housework instead. H. B. A) comicbooks.com