Life, 1886-03-04 · page 1 of 16
Life — March 4, 1886 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Soul for Art" - Life Magazine, March 4, 1886 This satirical sketch depicts two figures at a water color exhibition. One enthusiastically declares: "I do love water colors so much more than oil paintings. You can always see yourself in the glass." The joke is a pun on vanity. The fair one praising water colors isn't genuinely appreciating the artistic medium—they're attracted to water color paintings because they're displayed behind glass, allowing them to admire their own reflection rather than the artwork itself. This mocks shallow aesthetes of the Gilded Age who claimed artistic sophistication while being primarily interested in self-admiration and social posturing. The satire suggests their "soul for art" is actually just narcissism masquerading as refined taste.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME VII. NEW YORK, MARCH 4, 1886. NUMBER 166. Entered at New York Post Office as Secon4-Class Mall Matter. Copyright, 1806, by MITCHELL & MILLER. Grew itt ar saAmTentis A SOUL FOR ART. Scene, Water Color Exhibition. ~ - =) % 4 =) - - iS c Fair One: 1 DO LOVE WATER COLORS SO MUCH MORE THAN OIL PAINTINGS. YOU CAN ALWAYS SEE YOURSELF IN THE GLASS, Fin Ue © comicbooks.com