Life — December 12, 1930 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page Analysis: "Our Own Mail Order Catalogue" This is primarily a **humorous mail-order catalog parody** rather than political commentary. The left column contains a whimsical poem called "Little Orchid Annie" (credited to ed. graham, ghosting james W. Riley) about a character who rearranges living spaces and collects odd items. The right side presents fake "Christmas Suggestions" — absurdist gift items with satirical descriptions: black paint to "darken your door," a bicycle "better than fifty years in Europe," toy knights for a barroom, and surreal objects like a beam "for in your own eye" and a tooth "for your tooth." The bottom advertises rye whiskey with the phrase "for a body to meet a body coming through" — likely a literary reference. This is **satirical advertising humor** mocking consumer culture and mail-order catalogs, not addressing specific political figures or events.