Life, 1883-09-27 · page 1 of 16
Life — September 27, 1883 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The End of the Summer" — Life Magazine, September 27, 1883 This satirical cartoon depicts a romantic parting between a couple at summer's end. The woman says farewell, noting they've spent "lovely times together" and suggesting they shake hands "as if...men are brutes." The man responds with a threatening oath, swearing he'd treat other fellows worse and "be hanged" if her "scalp shall decorate your wigwam." The satire appears to mock the melodramatic farewell rituals of Victorian romance and courtship—the exaggerated emotional stakes and theatrical language lovers employed. The man's crude, aggressive response contrasts darkly with the woman's genteel farewell, satirizing masculine posturing and the gap between civilized romance and crude male behavior. The "scalp" reference may evoke frontier imagery common to period literature and humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 27, 1883. ENTERED AT NEW YORK POST OFFICE AS SECOND CLASS MAIL MATTER. WHAT SHE SAYS: Goop-Bye. What she does not sav: We“ HAVE HAD SUCH LOVELY TIMES TOGETHER ; AND AFTER ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED YOU CALMLY SHAKE HANDS AND GO AS IF——WELL, MEN are BRUTES. Gremorr sees ty syAryrenci + WHAT HE SAYS: Goop-Byg. Wheat he does not say : THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN I WOULD SWEAR THAT YOU CARED FOR ME, BUT I KNOW How you HAVE TREATED OTHER FELLOWS AND I'LL BE HANGED IF my SCALP SHALL DECORATE. YOUR WIGWAM. THE END OF THE SUMMER. comicbooks.com