Life, 1886-10-21 · page 3 of 16
Life — October 21, 1886 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 239 The main cartoon depicts a man admiring himself in a mirror, accompanied by romantic verse wishing to be "a sunbeam" to caress a woman's hair or "that blush" on her cheek. This appears to be satirizing male vanity and self-absorbed romanticism. Below are brief humor items: "Bismarck mondta!" references the German chancellor (likely a Hungarian-language joke); "Petőfi Sándor összes költeményeinek" discusses Hungarian poet Petőfi's works; and other short comedic anecdotes about mustaches, social pretensions, and romantic misadventures. The page is primarily **satirical humor** targeting male narcissism, affected romantic behavior, and social pretension rather than direct political commentary, though historical figures like Bismarck appear as reference points for jokes.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WOULD I were a sunbeam fit Amid thy hair to roam, I'd take it easy, for I'd sit Astraddle of thy comb. Or if, again, I were that blush + That on thy soft cheek glows, Tingeing it with a gentle flush Of sweet ‘* couleur de rose,” I might, perchance, embarrass thee By resting on thy nose. NO MORE THAN WE EXPECTED. UR readers will be surprised to learn that the following somewhat startling statement appeared in the Borsszen Janké, of Budapest, in its issue of the nineteenth Evfolyam. “Bismarck mondta!“ Franzensbadbél szabadon forditotta sajdt kiilonunk, A leghitelesebb forrésbél jelenthetem, hogy Bismarck hg. biro- dalmi kanczellar Franzensbadban idozésekor Giers orosz kanczel- larral és mds magasrangu személyekkel szemben a kdvetkezo /é/- remagyardshatatlan kimondasokat tette : Nine-tenths of our readers will, of course, not be influ- enced by this one way or the other, but the atrocious spelling in an advertisement of another portion of the same paper, deserves a reprimand. PETOFI SANDOR OSSZES KOLTEMENYEINEK We are not personally acquainted with the pet of Isandor, but we are a little surprised that his osszes should koltemen- yeinek at this season of the year. “ ON'T you think my mustache becoming?” asked young Lallipop of his big sister, the other night. “You affect a shocking use of auxiliaries lately,” she re- plied; “yes, I think it is coming.” ANXIOUS ABOUT HIS PARENT. ALL BOY (fo old gentleman in green-room): Mile. De Perchong desires me to assure you that she will be down as soon as she recovers from her fatigue and changes her clothes. OLD GENTLEMAN: Here, hold on; I say, there isn’t anything serious the matter with mother, is there? RECEIVED FROM THE ANCHORIA. NGLAND boasts of her bull-dogs and beagle, Her raven, and starling and sea-gull, But when it comes to the scratch, Her Henn is no match For your loud-screaming, much-despised Zagie, Baron Ten-ys-n, 73 PASSED some ‘queer,’ and here I am in prison, all on accounterfeit,” he sighed. A CHANCE FOR THE KNIGHTS. R. POWDERLY is having a great convention of the Knights of Labor, at Richmond. The Knights have much to learn, like the rest of the world, and Powderly has a | good deal in his head, the diffusion of which might benefit the | order, Will Mr. Irons be there? If the Knights could be “ exposed " so as to catch some of Powderly’s common sense, and also be inoculated with diluted virus from Irons, so as to have his complaint in a mild form and get over it, there would | be at least two good strokes of work done at Richmond. comicbooks.com