Life — January 23, 1931 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Great Convenience of Bouillon Cups" This is a humorous satirical essay arguing for two-handled cups as a practical solution to everyday problems. The author uses exaggerated examples to mock social inconvenience: coffee drinkers missing single handles, spilled beverages causing "breakfast table arguments," and divorce court cases allegedly resulting from such accidents. The cartoon illustrations show crowded urban scenes—likely New York City given the skyline—depicting the chaos of one-handed cup drinking. The essay then extends the joke to afternoon tea, describing how a two-handled cup would allow women to eat finger foods while drinking without risk to their clothing. The satire gently mocks both the triviality of modern inconveniences and the earnestness with which people debate domestic solutions. The byline indicates this is by T.S. (author unclear).