Life, 1885-02-19 · page 1 of 16
Life — February 19, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Movements in High Life" - Life Magazine, February 10, 1885 This cartoon satirizes the social pretensions of the wealthy during Reconstruction-era America. The central scene depicts two gentlemen ("Judge T.") in an urban setting, with one appearing ill or infirm. The dialogue reveals the joke: a wealthy Northerner visiting the South under the pretext of medical necessity ("doctor tells me I must keep out of doors"), when his actual motivation is escaping Northern winter for leisure. The caption "Escunt for the South" (likely "Excursion for the South") mocks how Northern elites justified pleasure trips South as health-related. The elaborate decorative border on the left contains vignettes, typical of Life's design. This reflects post-Civil War social dynamics where Northern wealth increasingly mingled with Southern society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
pF LON MO AT i VOLUME Vv. ity RICAN NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 1g, 1885. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. MOVEMENTS IN HIGH ,LIFE. Judge T.: HELLO, GENERAL. YOU LOOK COLD. General B.: Yes, DOCTOR TELLS ME I MUST KEEP OUT OF DOORS, THINK I'LL Go SoutH. Judge T.: \’LL GO WITH you. I NEED EXERCISE. Exeunt for the South. comicbooks.com