Life, 1886-06-10 · page 12 of 18
Life — June 10, 1886 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 334: Satirical Humor and Social Commentary This page contains multiple brief satirical jokes and sketches typical of Life magazine's format. **"The Dolphin Drag"** (top) illustrates circus/theatrical slang definitions mocking show business pretension—"Diamond" being a flashy but hollow ornament, "Flat" someone broke. **"Her Opinion"** satirizes rural simplicity: a farmer's wife, finally seeing a hippopotamus after lifelong longing, finds it disappointingly plain—humor from deflated expectations. **"A Cynic"** is a literary jab at affected romanticism in modern wit. **The Irish anecdotes** mock Irish stereotypes through absurd illogical boasts. **"A Delicate Perception"** contrasts upper-class self-importance with working-class resentment: a wealthy diner mistakes a waiter's professional service for genuine respect, while the waiter (unshown, but implied) resents the poor tip from someone acting superior. The satire targets class pretension on both sides. **"Hard Luck"** (left) features rustic dialect humor about legal troubles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TME DOLPHIN DRAG. (See preceding page.) DIAMOND—A glittering ornament for circus agents and HER OPINION. horse jockeys; headlight of a tenth-rate actor. FARMER'S wife living up among the New England FLAT—Loaded with superincumbent impecuniosity. hills had a longing all her life to see a hippopotamus. = —$—$—$—= A circus and menagerie visited a neighboring town and she harnessed up her old horse and eagerly jogged over the rough roads. When she stood in front of the cage where | the huge beast was confined all she said was “ My! ain't he plain !” A CYNIC, H E wears upon his mocking lips Such flings at constancy as those With which our modern wits eclipse De Musset’s or La Rochefoucauld’s,— And at his heart a faded rose. RISHMAN (relating his exploits): 1 walked up bouldly to wan o’ the inemy and cut off his legs wid me sword. Listener; Why didn’t you cut off his head ? Irishman: That was already off. NGEMISCA: You look very like Senator F., John. John (delightedly) : Oh, do I? Is he smart? Ingemisca: I don’t know. He does n't look so. EVER expect a loan from a man to whom you have lent money. A DELICATE PERCEPTION. HE (after leaving restaurant): What a delightful ome waiter, Charlie, and so respectful and attentive. It SP seemed as though he could n’t do enough for us; I was HARD LUCK. really quite charmed with him. He evidently realized that Hey, WHAT YER RUNNING FOR? 7 we are not ordinary, commonplace people. WLUS WHAT criA STORER eon ee Waiter (who has worked hard for a tip and did n't get FUR TER BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGIN ME, I SUPPOSE, it): Blank the blankety blank cheap swell ! z comicbooks.com