Life, 1883-10-25 · page 7 of 16
Life — October 25, 1883 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 205 **Main Cartoon: "Oh Boston, City of My Soul!"** The cartoon depicts a social encounter on Boston's Beacon Street. A man (identified as "Reginald") boasts to his sister about meeting someone descended from the Earl of Coventry, claiming ignorance of his mother's ancestry. The satire targets Boston's obsession with genealogy and social pedigree—the joke being that Reginald proudly traces one ancestor while apparently unconcerned about not knowing his own maternal lineage. This mocks upper-class Bostonians' selective emphasis on prestigious ancestry while remaining indifferent to other family history. **Additional Content:** The page includes a poem titled "An Aesthetic Rose" and brief editorial items. These appear minor compared to the main cartoon's social commentary on Boston's class-conscious society and genealogical pretensions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OH BOSTON, CITY OF MY SOUL! Reginald (to his sister, as they walk up Beacon Street): “Ov, DEAR, THERE COMES THAT MAN I was INTRODUCED TO AT THE CLUB. HE'S DESCENDED FROM THE EARL OF COVENTRY ON HIS FATHER’S SIDE, BUT I CAN'T FIND OUT WHO HIS MOTHER'S GREAT GRANDFATHER WAS, SO.I GUESS WE HAD BETTER CROSS OVER AND NOT SEE HIM.” “Ah!” said the Statesman, as he smilingly left the room. From this it is evident that Governor Butler fully expects to be. On the other hand, Mr, Geo, D..Rob- inson, the Republican candidate, claims the honor of being. It isa significant fact, however, that Mr. Robinson has engaged rooms in Washington for the coming winter, At the same time Gov. Butler is said by some to be seriously thinking of taking up his abode in Washington very soon at the old Hayes Temperance Union, on Pennsylvania Avenue, next door to the Treasury Department. J. K. Bancs. Query: Can Faith and Hope be called Sisters of Charity ? AN ZSTHETIC ROSE, HE eave her a wild-rose fresh with dew, With the usual speech, ** It resembles you.” But the likeness some way she failed to see— “ What curious fancy he has,” said she, “To liken me to this meagre flower That falls apart in a single hour.” Then he sent a rose in a hothouse grown, The size of a peony fully blown; Tobacco smoke was the strongest scent Within its manifold petals blent. “Ah, culture is everything,” said she; ** He might have likened this flower to me.”