Life, 1885-05-28 · page 1 of 16
Life — May 28, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Gus Johnson's Return from Abroad" This 1885 *Life* cartoon satirizes a character named Gus Johnson returning from travel in England. The caption quotes Reverend Thankful Smith mocking Johnson as "de most 'ristocratic exponent ob de English habits dat hab visited dis Town since its Corporation." The satire targets social pretension—Johnson apparently adopted affected English mannerisms abroad and now displays them ostentatiously upon his return. The reverend's dialect-heavy speech (characteristic of period satire) suggests Johnson is ridiculous for aping European aristocratic behavior while remaining an American small-town resident. The gathering of onlookers appears to witness Johnson's affected performance, making him an object of community mockery for his transparent social climbing and borrowed affectations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NEW YORK, MAY 28, 1885. NUMBER 1126. ~~ Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Grrowr ides tv sganrentues GUS JOHNSON’S RETURN FROM ABROAD. Rev. Thankful Smith: Fo’ pe Lop, Gus, YOU IS DE MOST 'RISTOCRATIC EXPONENT OB DE ENGLISH HABITS DAT HAB VISITED DIS TOWN SENCE ITS CORPORATION,