Life, 1884-11-06 · page 1 of 16
Life — November 6, 1884 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Rivals" - Life Magazine, November 6, 1884 This cartoon satirizes the age difference between two rival suitors competing for a woman's attention. The humor hinges on Lankson appearing much older than Plumpton, though they claim similar ages. Plumpton boasts he looks younger, while Lankson counters that the year's difference between them is negligible. Plumpton then references his own father saying "There goes old Lankson" when Plumpton was a boy—implying Lankson looked elderly even then, making him far older in reality than he claims. The joke mocks both men's vanity about aging and their transparent dishonesty about their true ages in courtship. The cartoon captures late Victorian humor about male rivalry and the social importance of appearing youthful to potential partners.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“VOLUME IV. NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 6, 1884. NUMBER 97. Entered at New York Post Oftce us Second-Clam Mall Matter, THE RIVALS. Lankson, who looks older than he is: BY THE WAY, PLUMPTON, THERE 1S ABOUT A YEAR'S DIFFERENCE IN OUR AGES, ISN'T THERE? Plumpton, who looks younger than he is: A YEAR! WHY WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY AND YOU USED TO PASS OUR HOUSE I REMEMBER MY FATHER SAYING “ THERE GOES OLD LANKsON!" comicbooks.com