Life, 1883-08-16 · page 3 of 16
Life — August 16, 1883 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Our Anglomaniac at Newport" This satirical cartoon from *Life* magazine (August 16, 1883) mocks an American man at Newport, Rhode Island—then the premier summer resort for wealthy Americans—who imitates English fashion and customs. The caption jokes that he wears a double-breasted coat and winter hat despite the thermometer reading 90°F, "Because they do it in England when the thermometer is at 60°." The cartoon ridicules American "Anglomaniacs"—wealthy individuals who slavishly copied English upper-class styles and behaviors, regardless of practical sense or local climate. The umbrella-carrying figure in formal dress represents this absurd affectation: prioritizing fashionable conformity to English standards over comfort or rationality. This reflects late-19th-century tensions between American and English culture among the American elite.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AUG. 16, 1883. . bt ko. a OUR ANGLOMANIAC AT NEWPORT. Why does he wear his double-breasted coat and winter hat with the thermometer at 90°? BECAUSE THEY DO IT IN ENGLAND WHEN THE THERMOMETER IS AT 60°, comicbooks.com