Life, 1884-05-22 · page 1 of 16
Life — May 22, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Refinement of Cruelty" - Life Magazine, May 22, 1884 This satirical cartoon illustrates Victorian-era social hypocrisy regarding servants. The scene shows a household interior where Mr. Jenkins Masher has sent his card upstairs, stealing a kiss from a "pretty maid" while the mistress, Mrs. R., is momentarily absent. The caption's irony is sharp: Mrs. R. scolds the maid Jane for receiving "visitors in the kitchen," implying moral impropriety—yet the cartoon reveals the actual "cruelty" is the employer's own inappropriate behavior toward his servant, whom he exploits precisely because of her vulnerable position in the household hierarchy. The title mocks how the wealthy class enforced strict moral codes on servants while engaging in far worse conduct themselves.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tables 7 Triumphs er all ne and Come s Exhibr ladelphia, the ce and in all de vy delphi. VOLUME III. NEW YORK, MAY 22, 1884. NUMBER 73. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mall Matter. Gernot 1883 By sPAMITeHELL® THE REFINEMENT OF CRUELTY. Mr. Jenkins Masher, having sent up his card and received word that Mrs. R. will be down ina moment, steals a kiss from the pretty maid. Mrs. R., entering unexpectedly: JANE, HOW OFTEN HAVE I TOLD YOU TO ALWAYS RECEIVE YOUR VISITORS IN THE KITCHEN ? / | comicbooks.com