Life, 1929-08-16 · page 11 of 36
Life — August 16, 1929 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical cartoons about class and aspiration in early 20th-century America. **"Well Equipped"** (top text section) mocks a character who boasts of aristocratic credentials—blue blood, Irish linen, golf clubs, a country club membership—yet has "brains and brass and bearing" but lacks a job. The satire targets the genteel unemployed: those with social pretensions and expensive accessories but no actual employment or practical value. **The lower cartoon** depicts a dramatic scene where a pedestrian's parachute fails, killing the "latted calf" (likely a servant or social inferior, referenced in the biblical parable of the prodigal son). The visual pun suggests the ironic "return" of someone to their proper station through catastrophe rather than redemption. Both pieces mock class pretension and the gap between appearance and reality in American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Let's try somewhere else. We had quaintness on toast for lunch.” Well Equipped Oh, a pair of flannel trousers And a rakish cap I've got With « double-breasted jacket And a tic of polka dot, So the only thing I'm lacking Is an ocean-going yacht. | powers a bag of golf sticks That proclaim Pm not a dub. T have Irish linen knickers To impress the golfing cub But | need an invitation To a stylish country club! ! have blood as blue as any In the veins of Duke or snob. Mm a mighty mental giant, Much too brilliant for the mob . . Uhave brains and brass and bearing But | haven't got a job! — Arthur L, Lippmann. Coming across a good typographical error is like finding a diamond. There's a big market for them as names for candy bars, washing powders, tooth pastes and new brands of yasoline. The prodigal’s return and the killing of the fatted calf! comicbooks.com