Life, 1883-08-30 · page 5 of 16
Life — August 30, 1883 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Page 99 The illustration titled "The Ins and Outs of Canoeing" depicts two swimmers in water beside an overturned canoe. The dialogue shows a woman (Heiress) lamenting the loss of her banjo, while a man (Mr. Archibald Turner) pragmatically notes they've at least salvaged the canoe itself—which he claims is more valuable than the banjo. The satire targets wealthy leisure culture and class attitudes: the "heiress" prioritizes a luxury musical instrument, while Turner emphasizes practical property value. The joke illustrates the disconnect between upper-class sentimentality (mourning recreational possessions) and practical concerns during an accident. The page also includes romantic poetry titled "The Sweets of Love" and unrelated literary commentary, typical of Life magazine's mixed content format.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE INS AND OUTS OF CANOEING. Heiress, as they swim toward the shore: OW, DEAR! TO THINK OF MY —— BEAUTIFUL BANJO BEING Lost! I COULD AL—MOST CRY. Mr. Archibald Turner: Yes, BuT We'VE GOT THE CANOE, AND THAT'S WORTH A GOOD DEAL MORE JUST AT PRESENT. THE! TH—ER GREAT ADVANTAGE THE CANOE HAS OVER THE BANJO, THE LESS YOU KNOW ABOUT IT THE: MORE YOU CAN GET OUT OF IT, THE SWEETS OF LOVE. “ How love would weave from sunny hours A chain to trip the laggard, Time, * HE fox-glove swung its purple bell And sit in dew-empearled bowers Aloft to catch the evening dew; And dream as in some tropic clime!" The lily, in a mossy dell, Lay faint beneath the “ heaven's blue.” “Yes, 't would be nice, dear Tom,” she said, “To hear the chiming wedding bells; But if we lived here when we wed What wou/d I do for caramels ?” We watched the lazy spiders spin, And heard the sparrows cheep and call, Far from the city’s whir and din, Where silence ver all. here silence brooded over a Hinoup VAmSancvoonD. Amid a crimson sea of fire ‘The burning sun had sunk to rest; ‘The clouds rose like a funeral pyre All glowing in the golden west “PLuTarRcH’s lives—Plutarch’s lives," muttered Midas, pausing before his book shelves and spelling % we ans out a title, “ Plutarch’s lives—who, how many lives on “T love,” I said, “in such a scene, — earth had the man?” Where joy and hope and peace abide, “Looney !"" exclaimed Mrs. Midas in a fine burst Life’s choicest favors one might glean, of contempt, “don’t you know nothing? It’s a book Thrice-happy, sweet, whate’er betide ! about cats!” “ How love would fill our golden cup With nectar to the dewy brim, More than 43,000 books and pamphlets have al- And raise the jewelled token up ready been published on the subject of electricity. No When lovers’ eyes are growing dim. wonder we know next to nothing about it. comicbooks.com