Life, 1885-02-12 · page 3 of 22
Life — February 12, 1885 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Page 87, Life Magazine **The Cartoon "A New Form of Anglomania"** This satirical sketch mocks American pretension and snobbery toward English culture. A shop clerk assists a woman (Miss Georgina) seeking "banjo strings," insisting on English imports. The shopman responds with mock-British superiority, suggesting American cats are inferior to English ones—an absurd comparison that ridicules blind Anglophilia. The joke targets mid-19th century American anxiety about cultural sophistication: the assumption that anything English automatically outranks American equivalents. The dog in the scene may emphasize this absurdity. "Anglomania" refers to excessive admiration of English customs—a real social phenomenon among wealthy Americans of this era who eagerly adopted British tastes and mannerisms to signal status.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A NEW FORM OF ANGLOMANIA. Miss Georgina: | WANT SOME BANJO STRINGS, AND I MUST HAVE THR VERY BEST. GIVE ME ENGLISH CATGUT. You 'D BETTER Shopman;: I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF AMERICAN CATS DON'T HAVE AS GOOD—AHEM !—INTERNAL ARRANGE- MENTS AS ENGLISH CATS, TO CUPID, FEBRUARY 14th, 1885. UPID, goe to Her in haste, Saye my Hearte is hopefull ; Of y* Songes y* She has graced, Here 's an Envelope full. Kiss Her once—y* be your Fee ; Kiss her twice—for mine! Kiss Her thrice, 'e*, three times three, Telle Her you have come to be Her Valentyne ! Cupid, goe in haste to Her, Saye my Hearte is lonely; Hasten, prettie Messenger, Bring Her to me—only Kiss Her once—y* be your Fee ; Kiss Her twice—for mine! I shall kiss her three times three, When you bring Her back to be My Valentyne. F. D, SHERMAN, “HONOR TO WHOM HCYNOR IS DUE.” HE respect exhibited by New Yorkers for their repre- sentatives in Congress is strikingly exemplified by the various pet designations conferred upon them by a generous public. As the victorious Romans proudly surnamed Caius Martius, “ Coriolanus,” for “fluttering the Volscians at Cor- ioli,” so the equally appreciative populace of the Empire State honor their political heroes after a similar fashion. Here, for example, is “ Wood Pulp” Miller, who, prior to his sudden elevation to the Senatorship, was plain Warner Miller. And now comes to the Senatorial front Lawyer Evarts, a lantern-jawed expounder of Blackstone—to find himself, translated into “Bosh Butter” Evarts. It is said that the recipients of these extraordinary honors do not altogether fancy these titular dignities ; but then, on the well-known | and universally adopted theory of never looking a gift mule in the heels, it is better, perhaps, to accept the gifts of the gods as they are bestowed, without questioning—for has it not been said, and well said, “ Vox Popult, vox Det?” F. W. P. comicbooks.com ‘