Life, 1929-04-05 · page 52 of 56
Life — April 5, 1929 — page 52: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical humor pieces rather than political commentary. The main content is a humorous essay by Fairfax Downey about a dentist's idea: photographing patients' teeth to show them how their teeth looked in youth. Downey extends this joke by imagining a family photo album of his teeth, personifying each tooth with names like "Ernest Incisor" and "Kitty Canine," treating them as family members with biographical narratives (gold prospector, debutante, etc.). Below this is a separate joke about romantic love measured by a woman's checkbook. The page is dominated by **advertisements**: a large Wrigley's spearmint gum ad (emphasizing lasting flavor and health benefits), and smaller ads for Mediterranean cruise lines and travel services. This is largely a commercial page with light humor, not political satire. The content reflects 1920s consumer culture and leisure travel advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
traits to muse over and see how my teeth looked in younger and happier days. I can imagine myself showing those pictures to friends of an evening, smiling sadly over them and sighing, “Ah, youth, youth!” Yes, thanks to my dentist’s splendid idea, I shall have a fine photograph album. There will be Ernest Incisor, the founder of the family fortunes, leaning on his toothpick in the gold diggings. Ah, the sturdy old pioncer! Others struck gold later, but he was the first of them all. There will be a study of Kity Canine, all ready for her coming out party. I'll never forget Kitty. She was such a sweet tooth. I must have a view of Michael Molar, too, at the time of his coronation. Dear, quaint, old Wisdom Tooth and her sister can not be left out of the album, for the time approaches, I fear, when they will have passed on to their reward. There will even be a page for bad Billy Bicuspid, that gay, young rake, although he has given me many a twinge in this life. I know he has been abandoned and dissipated and is living on his nerve right now, but after all he’s mine. It will be a precious souvenir, that photograph album. In after years, I will pour over its pages and murmur, “They were Teeth in those days!” Fairfax Downey. “Do you really love me?” “Yes,” “How much?” “Well, here's my check-book. You can look over the stubs.” —Texas Ranger. If you don't happen to own a magic carpet, a travel bureau will do just as well. [Mediterranean “The Luxury Ships” M.V. SATURNIA M.V. VULCANIA Sail Regularly to CANNES-NAPLES- TRIESTE also PRESIDENTE WILSON From Tealy the Fleet of LLOYD TRIESTINO Offers a Splendid Service to NEAR EAST = COSULICH LINE 32.225 comicbooks.com