Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #3 — page 45: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page contains no visible cartoon or illustration—it's purely text commentary on women's makeup and cosmetics. The piece satirizes young women who wear heavy makeup, comparing their painted faces unfavorably to natural complexions. The author mocks excessive rouge as gaudy (likening it to "emblazoned scarlet on a brilliant sign-board") and contrasts it with Indians who painted themselves for battle purposes. The satire targets both the women applying makeup and the young men seeking wives, arguing men want authenticity over deception. The advice given: accept your natural appearance as "the Maker's" work, or risk deceiving a future husband into regretting marriage. This reflects early-20th-century anxieties about cosmetics, femininity, and courtship rituals during makeup's increasing commercialization.