Life, 1886-07-22 · page 1 of 16
Life — July 22, 1886 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Accepting the Terms" - Life Magazine, July 22, 1886 This cartoon depicts a romantic scene in a tropical conservatory. A woman (labeled "Miss Violet") is being courted by a military officer, while an older woman observes. The dialogue shows the officer requesting a waltz and the woman agreeing, with the final line—"I'll do that as we dance"—suggesting she's accepting his romantic proposal on the dance floor. The satire appears to target Victorian courtship conventions, particularly how women strategically "accepted terms" (marriage proposals) during social dancing. The exotic setting with palms and decorative plants emphasizes the romantic atmosphere while mocking the formalized, almost diplomatic nature of upper-class romance and marriage negotiations of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
"VOLUME VIII. NEW YORK, JULY 22, 1886. NUMBER. 186. < Entered at New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1886, by MITCHELL & MILLER. prcRiCanys gE Sym. cag wei ACCEPTING THE TERMS. He (entreatingly): Won't YOU GIVE ME THIS NEXT WALTZ, Miss VIOLET? ‘She (coquettishly): PERHAPS, IF YOU PRESS ME. The bold, horrid thing: \'LL DO THAT AS WE DANCE. comichooks.eyu)