Life, 1928-08-16 · page 7 of 48
Life — August 16, 1928 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate humor items typical of early 20th-century Life magazine: 1. **"Jennifer Minns"** (center/right): A narrative poem about a woman visiting an emporium to buy pins but getting distracted shopping for hours, eventually leaving with the same amount of money she arrived with. It's a gentle satire on women's shopping habits and impulsive spending. 2. **"Free-Air Castle"** (left): A brief joke about Spanish architecture, with a visual gag about hitting a golf ball. 3. **"Scotch Joke"** (bottom left): A crude ethnic joke playing on Scottish stereotypes about frugality and avoiding expenses. 4. **Bottom section**: Brief humor items ("Terribly!" and "Polite Fireman") with accompanying illustrations. The humor reflects period attitudes toward gender, nationality, and class that would be considered offensive today.
📄 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 T have to do? Just hit that little ball? Scotcu Joxe “I was out with a Scotch irl 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 clockses, 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 pencils. 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 gaily departed With just as much money as when she had started. she But on her way homeward Miss Jennifer Minns Remembered she'd gone for a paper of pins. Newman Levy. TERRIBLY! Mantz: Rose had a man arrested for annoying her on the street last night. Mapce: My! I'll bet he was ugly! a Wal Pottte Fireman: Good evening, mai sorry to disturb you—and would you mind leaving the water running in the tub? im, $0 comicbooks.com