Life, 1928-08-16 · page 13 of 48
Life — August 16, 1928 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct comedic pieces: 1. **"Making the First Page"**: A fashion illustration satirizing early 20th-century shopping culture, showing a woman in elaborate dress at a department store counter examining hosiery. 2. **"Free-Air Castle"**: A brief joke about Spanish-style architecture, with "Novorik" (likely a character name) complaining that his only task is "hitting a little ball"—possibly mocking golf as a leisure activity of the wealthy. 3. **"Scotch Joke"**: A crude joke about a Scottish woman spending money on alcohol rather than hygiene. The right panel appears to be an illustration accompanying the "Jennifer Minns" story, depicting a woman shopping in an ornate department store. These pieces represent typical Life magazine humor: social satire targeting fashion, leisure activities, ethnic stereotypes, and consumer culture of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFe Maxine tHe First Pace FREE-AIR CASTLE “So the Smiths are building a new house. What style is it to be, Spanish?” “No, Socony.” Novice (taking up golf): Is that all I have to do? Just hit that little ball? Scorcu Joxe “I was out with a Scotch girl last night and she never stopped blushing—” “Why, what were you saying to her?” “Nothing. She'd worked up the blush to save rouge bills.” Jennifer Minns On, hark to the story of Jennifer Minns Who went to the store for a paper of pins, The gilded emporium large and ornate Conducted by Parkinson, Jones & Mc- Crate. Miss Jennifer paused as she entered the door At the hosiery counter upon the first floor, And there she remarked as she powdered her nose, “T think that I'll look at a pair of silk hose.” The saleslady took down some hose from the shelf And observed, ‘That's the kind that I’m wearing myself. We have Mocha and Coffee and Beige, Tan and Brown; You can wear them with ‘most any kind of a gown.” There were stockings in parcels and stock- ings in boxes; There were stockings with clockings and stockings with deckies Till the counter with stockings was nigh overflowing, And Jennifer said, “Well, I have to be going.” Then she next stopped to look at some kitchen utensils. She paused for a while at the paper and ncils, And she stopped at a counter she hap- pened to pass where A sale was in progress of china and glass- ware. She stayed for two hours To look at some flowers. She paused at the places Where silks were and laces. She tried on some sables, And looked at some tables, And read through three chapters Of La Fontaine's fables. She kept three girls busy, The floorwalker dizzy, While she looked at some tools For her brand-new. Tin Lizzie. Then she walked to the door and she gaily departed With just as much money as when she had started. But on her way homeward Miss Jennifer Minns Remembered she’d gone for a paper of pins. Newman Levy. TERRIBLY! Marie: Rose had a man arrested for annoying her on the street last night. Mance: My! I'll bet he was ugly! MAN: Good evening, madam, so sorry to disturb you—and would you mind leaving the water running in the tub? comicbooks.com~