Life, 1928-03-22 · page 12 of 34
Life — March 22, 1928 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two elements: 1. **Top illustration**: A sketch titled "The Gay Nineties" depicting a town square water trough (labeled as originally built "for humane purposes"). The scene shows well-dressed figures from that era using it, with a horse and classical architecture. The caption suggests the trough's intended charitable purpose was often diverted elsewhere—likely satirizing how public infrastructure gets repurposed or neglected. 2. **Bottom dialogue**: A comic titled "Did I Look Tight?" featuring a husband and wife discussing his appearance the previous evening. "Tight" here means intoxicated. The wife reassures him he appeared perfectly normal, though he worries he may have seemed drunk. The satire gently mocks marital diplomacy and social pretense about alcohol consumption—common comedy fodder in this era. Both pieces use humor to critique social behavior and Victorian-era propriety.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Gay Nineties The old water trough in the town square—erected primarily for humane purposes, its usefulness was quite often diverted into other channels, E: Gosh, I'm afraid I got pretty well skiffered last night. Did I look tight? Sue: Why, you were perfectly all right as far as I could see. I think everybody was awfully plushed, though, don’t you? He: Yeah, I guess that’s about the size of it, but, gosh, I wish I knew whether I looked tight. Sue: Why, I think you looked just the same as usual. He: Well, I felt swell. I mean I wasn’t anywhere near passing out, “Did I Look Tight?” but don’t you know how it is—you're never quite sure how you loo Sue: Oh, don’t be ridic’lous—you didn’t look the least bit tight to me. He: Did I say anything peculiar? Sue: Why, no—of course not. What makes you think you did? He: Well, nothing. I mean I re- member everything perfectly, only don’t you know you always sort of have those lapses, when you might say almost anything? Sur: Yes, I s’pose that’s so. But you talked perfectly normally to me. He: That's good. I was afraid I might have said something silly the way you do sometimes....I didn't do anything out of the way, did I? Sue: Don’t be absurd—you were perfectly all right! He: Well, I just thought I might have sprung something idiotic the way you do sometimes, don’t you know? Sue: Why, how ridiculous! [ tell you you were perfectly all right! He: Well, anyway, I hope I didn't look tight! Lloyd Mayer. comicbooks.com The