Life, 1885-11-19 · page 1 of 18
Life — November 19, 1885 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The True Spirit" - Life Magazine, November 19, 1885 This cartoon satirizes gender roles and hunting culture among the Victorian upper class. A man (Mr. St. John) returns from a shooting expedition, and his female companion (Miss S.) inquires about his hunting success. The humor lies in his response: he shot no game because he forgot his "sniping suit"—suggesting he prioritized fashionable hunting attire over actual hunting competence. The satire targets two things: the pretentiousness of wealthy sportsmen who care more about appearing the part than performing it, and the absurdity of women accepting such transparent excuses. The "true spirit" of the title is ironic—St. John demonstrates the opposite: vanity rather than genuine sportsman's dedication.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME VI. NEW YORK, NOVEMBER io, 188s. NUMBER 151. Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1805, by MrTcnELt & MitizR. ety sganirenena: THE TRUE SPIRIT. Miss S.: AH, MR. ST. JOHN, YOU HAVE BEEN OUT SHOOTING, WHAT SORT OF LUCK DID YOU HAVE? Mr. St. J.:| WELL, 1 SCARED UP SEVEN PARTRIDGES. Miss S.: HOW MANY DID YOU SHOOT? Mr. St. J.: 1 DID NOT BAG ANY, OF COURSE, FOR I HAD MY SNIPING SUIT ON, DON'T YoU KNOW comicbooks.com