Life — June 21, 1883 — page 6: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis: "A Pair of Black Tights" This page from *Life* magazine depicts a street altercation between a driver and a policeman. The text describes an increasingly heated confrontation: the driver abuses his horse; a policeman intervenes; the driver becomes insolent and refuses orders; the policeman hits him with a club; they struggle. The illustration shows two silhouetted figures in violent conflict on a city street. The caption "A Pair of Black Tights" appears to be a pun—referring both to the dark clothing visible in the scene and to "tights" meaning confrontations or struggles. The satire likely critiques either police brutality or public disorder depending on *Life*'s editorial stance at publication. Without the date, the specific incident referenced remains unclear, though it illustrates early 20th-century urban tensions between authorities and citizens.