Life, 1884-04-10 · page 12 of 16
Life — April 10, 1884 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This page contains two separate satirical pieces from *Life* magazine: **Top cartoon**: "Mr. Dilsey in Hoboken" mocks African American dialect and aspirations. Mr. Dilsey returns from a poker game in New York to his hometown, announcing he'll "improve" local society by setting a "standard." The satire targets both his pretensions and the stereotyped dialect used to portray him and onlookers. **Bottom story**: "One of the Lost Milesian Tales" satirizes Irish immigrant domestic servants in Philadelphia. Two French governesses converse—but in exaggerated Irish-accented English rather than French. The humor derives from the contradiction: they're supposed to be French but speak in thick Irish brogue, and one describes attending a fancy Philadelphia event where she repeated French phrases ("Wee madame," "Toot sweet") she didn't understand. The satire mocks both Irish immigrants' social climbing and their linguistic/cultural outsider status in American high society. Both pieces use ethnic caricature and dialect humor—common in period *Life* magazine—to ridicule working-class and immigrant aspirations toward respectability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
MR. DILSEY IN HOBOKEN. After his swarry with the Thompson Street Poker Club, Mr. Dilsey returns to Hoboken and astonishes the natives. DatT’s DE WRINKLE, NicGAuHs! AN’ DAR’S NO USE TALKIN’, WE’SE GOT FO’ TER ’TAIN DAT DAR STANDARD FO’ WE KIN IMPROVE DE SASSIETY OB DIS YER TOWN. ONE OF THE LOST MILESIAN TALES. CENE, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia; time, 11 A. M. Enter first French bonne in a towering cap and large apron holding the two little snoblings by the hand, who chatter cheer- fully in shrill, nasal voices, and appeal constantly to her as “Marie.” They cross the park and come upon second French bonne in an even taller cap and more voluminous apron, sitting on a bench, reading the ‘‘Catholic’s Banner,” and presiding in- cidentally over a tiny baby almost completely swallowed up in gorgeous robes and wraps in a perambulater. They exchange greetings in the well-known dialect of Paris. 2d F, B.—‘‘ Well, Marggie, sure is it you? morn?” 1st F, B.— Oi'm all roight, thank ye, Bridget Malony, hopin’ y’re the same.” 2d F. B.—‘‘ Take a sate, thin, and till me about the foine doin’s Oi’m hearin’ av ye givin’. It’s Mary O'Flaherty that was sayin’ it was a grand soight all them loights in the windies ; she sor’m comin’ home from her mother’s who’s down wid a fayver.”” - ist F, B. (taking a seat.)—“YVis, andade, it was illigint. And this How are ye the is how it come to be done, She says to me, the Monday when I come home from Mass, ‘Marry, Oi’m goan to put a cap and aprin on ye now, and you ’ll wear them all the toime. And to-noight ye ’re to attind in the dressin’-room, and moind you're not to open your lips except to say ‘Wee madame’ and ‘Toot sweet, madame,’ and made me say thim words over and over again.” 2d F, B.— It’s quare words they is, Marggie. What do they mane?” 1st F. B.—‘ Sure, I do n’t know, but Oi promised to remimber ’m, When the noight av the sworry came, O! but Oi dressed mysilf nate! and stud inside the door takin’ the cloaks and shawls, All the hoigh and moighty quality av the city av Phila- delfy was there, Bridget, and kept pushin’ and crowdin’ in, and the music av the chunes came crowdin’ up, and Oi looked over the railin’ and seen the gintlemin promenadin’! And this is thrue, Bridget Malony, as sure as there’s’saints above. If Oirland had the governmint av this cour‘; #would be the flower «v Ameriky! And it’s livin’ in big houses and ope foine close, we'd be!” 2d F. B.—“ Yer spakin’ sinse, now, Marggie Dolan.” 1st F. B.— Well, in the dressin’-room Oi was, whin a grand comicbooks.com