Life, 1884-02-28 · page 1 of 14
Life — February 28, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "An Error" — Life Magazine, February 28, 1884 This satirical cartoon mocks a social embarrassment. A hostess compliments a gentleman guest on his excellent English, saying he "speaks remarkably well." The man replies he was born in New York. The hostess then expresses surprise, claiming her husband told her the guest was a Bohemian. The joke targets class prejudice and ethnic stereotyping of the 1880s. The hostess assumed poor English indicated foreign origin, but her assumption was wrong—he's American-born. The satire critiques how upper-class Americans made hasty ethnic judgments based on accent or appearance, and the social awkwardness that resulted when such assumptions proved incorrect. "Bohemian" likely referred to Central European immigrants, often viewed with suspicion.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
° Entered at New York Post Office a1 Second-Class Mail Matter. VOLUME Ill. NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 28, 1884. NUMBER 61. Coprnanr raes. ay + JAaToHeun> AN ERROR. Hostess {to gentleman her husband has brought home to dinner): How WELL YoU SPEAK ENGLIsH, Mr. —. . Mr.— (not understanding): Yes, 1 “oucut To.” Hostess: BUT YOU SPEAK REMARKABLY WELL. Mr-—: l ovcut. I HAVE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE, In Fact, I wAs BORN IN NEW York. Hostess: WHY, HOW STRANGE! I-AM SURE MY HUSBAND TOLD ME THAT YOU WERE A osm BOHEMIAN. fr ft comicbooks.com