Life, 1929-06-07 · page 20 of 48
Life — June 7, 1929 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous diary entry dated May 16, featuring social satire about upper-class leisure and pretension. The main illustration shows a woman on what appears to be a luxury ocean liner or yacht, surrounded by steam/smoke effects suggesting motion or indulgence. The diary entry mocks genteel vanity: the narrator celebrates her birthday by calling a doctor to request a 24-hour break from her "regimen," then fantasizes about caviar, hollandaise sauce, and strawberry ice cream—luxuries she's apparently denied herself. She's recently purchased an expensive blue fox scarf despite financial concerns about solvency. The side illustrations show street scenes with working-class figures (conductor, laborers), contrasting sharply with the narrator's self-indulgent preoccupations, highlighting the gap between her aspirations and reality.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
convinced through vanity that the lat- ter should no more be hid under a bang than a light under a bushel, al- beit its exposure will neither perfect my French nor reduce my taxes. The morning gone in a pleasant reception of what Sam does mean. ly call anniversary loot, and then to luncheon at an inn with Effie Goings where, with the complete liberty of the menu so long yearned for, I did meek- ly order a vege- (Continued on Page 43) May 16—Awake __ betimes, pondering various things in ome, life which methinks are overrated, such as wild rice and blind idealism, and then, suddenly mindful that it was my birthday, to the telephone to inquire of Dr. Scott if I might quit my regimen for twenty-four hours, and he did give me leave, so back to dream of caviar, hollan- daise sauce and fresh strawberry ice cream until my breakfast tray did come, and on it was a sizable cheque from Samuel, which pleased me mightily, for now I can buy the blue fox scarf, on which I have set my heart, without trembling for my solvency. Indulged also in some introspection anent “Hey! You! Conductor, you carried me a block past my corner!” the date, carefully weighing the advisability of altering my per- sonality and temperament, both of which I do deem in need of repair, but, foras- much as I could not de- cide whether to become extremely spiritual or to culti- z vate a Prooetners English ac- —— . cent, pitched on wearing my hair pe Aisimoy look easy, big Cr Beste in an entirely different fashion, so up vy» but in this business Z 8 and brushed it straight back from my yo" gotta use yo’ haid!' — we forehead to show my widow's peak, comicbooks.com