Life, 1886-02-04 · page 5 of 16
Life — February 4, 1886 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 75 The top cartoon, titled "Hors Concours" (French for "outside competition"), depicts well-dressed figures viewing a shop window display. The dialogue suggests confusion about what artwork they're observing—one character asks what the picture's name is, with the response that it's a "concours of horses" (horse show). The satire appears to mock either pretentious art appreciation or the difficulty distinguishing between fine art and commercial displays. Below, "Slurring a City" presents a dialogue where a stranger questions Cincinnati residents about constant rioting. The citizen's responses escalate absurdly—cheap beer, free lunches—suggesting satirical commentary on either Cincinnati's actual reputation for civil unrest or stereotypes about working-class urban discontent. The final exchange mocks unreasonable consumer demands and entitlement. The page also includes brief quoted observations about talented newspaper writers now in advertising.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HORS CONCOURS. Fond Mamma: ANb, ROSALIE, DEAR, WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS PICTURE? Rosalie (who speaks French): THis 18 MORSE CONCOURS, A CONCOUR OF HORSES ; A SORT OF HORSE SHOW; DON'T YOU KNOW, MAMMA ? F. M.: Aw! To BE SURE. SLURRING A CITY. “ wer is the reason you Cincinnati people are always engaged in some riot or other ?” asked a stranger. “T dunno,” said a citizen. “You can buy beer for three cents a glass, can’t you ?” “Yes.” “ With free lunch thrown in?” “Yes.” “Well, what more do you want? Some people are never satisfied. If I should make you a present of a dollar, you would kick because it wasn’t two.” “I'd be willing to split the difference and call it a dollar and a half,” said the maligned Cincinnatian. N exchange asks : “ What has become of all the talented writers whose bright ideas once sparkled in the columns of the daily press?” A close perusal of the advertising columns of our country exchanges leads to the belief that they are holding editorial positions with patent medicine firms, “FAITHFUL are the wounds of a friend,’ and there are none more punctiliously given. comicbooks.com