Life, 1886-03-11 · page 1 of 16
Life — March 11, 1886 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Pasquelle at Fault" - Life Magazine, March 11, 1886 This satirical cartoon depicts a social scene at Washington D.C. (the Washington Monument visible in background). A well-dressed man confronts two women, one holding a fan. The dialogue suggests a dispute over dinner arrangements. The humor centers on conflicting accounts of responsibility: Mr. Henry Pinchback claims the women caused "the loss of your dinner" through some unspecified mishap, while one woman retorts that he "has a full back and an empty stomach" — implying his gluttony rather than their negligence caused the problem. The title "Pasquelle at Fault" suggests this references a specific scandal or social figure, though the identity remains unclear from the image alone. The joke appears to mock Victorian-era social pretensions and dinner etiquette disputes among the elite.
📄 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 11, 1886. Entered at New York Post Office as Secoad-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1886, by MITCHELL & MILLER. NUMBER 167. BA GF gk Gbhaax ml 95: FASQUELLE’ AT FAULT. . Mr. Henry Pinchback: PARDON, MADAME. JE VOUS AI CAUSE LA PERTE DE VOTRE DINER; UN VRAI Q£SASTRE. Madame (with some fecling): DE£SASTRES; OUI, J'EN AI PLEIN LE DOS, ET AVEC CA L’ESTOMAC VIDE. Mrs, P.: WHAT DOES SHE SAY? Mr, P.: SHE SAYS SHE HAS A FULL BACK AND AN EMPTY STOMACH, PEOPLE NEVER TALKED THAT WAY IN MY GRAMMAR. comicbooks.com