Life, 1886-12-30 · page 11 of 19
Life — December 30, 1886 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This *Life* magazine page satirizes American arrogance and the British royal family circa the 1890s. **"A New Ruler"** mocks an American visitor ("the Chum") who receives a summons to Windsor Castle. The satire centers on his republican swagger—he sends an acceptance telegram marked "collect" (refusing to pay), boasting that no queen can intimidate a man with "ancestors from every State." He climbs the castle steps three at a time, embodying crude American individualism. Upon arrival, he finds the Prince of Wales and family in distress over the "Campbell divorce case"—likely a scandal the Queen wishes suppressed from newspapers. The Prince cries out for "LIFE" (the magazine itself) rather than "Leaves" (a book), providing self-promotional wordplay. The smaller cartoons mock British customs: the couple's affected baby-talk, a woman overdressing for shopping to avoid standing in crowded transit, and the Queen censoring divorce coverage to protect the Prince's "moral sensibilities." The humor targets both American boisterousness and British prudish pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A NEW RULER. H it I Chum to Potentates doesn’t find a sum- mons to Windsor Castle in the toe of his hose, and last Saturday was by no means an exception to the torrid rule which has held sway the past four years. The Summons was attended by all the Pomp and Vanity of a due postage stamp, which invariably graces Her Majesty’s invitations to dinner or other festivities, and was further marked by the absence of a stamped and directed envelope for a reply, which the Chum exacts from his correspondents, - This oversight on the part of the Queen was hailed by the Chum with delight, as it gave him the opportunity to indulge in repartee by sending a cablegram of acceptance, with the mystic word “collect ” in the lower left-hand corner. That such behavior on his part will be set down as exceedingly rude by certain of his countrymen, the Chum fully realizes, but he likewise realizes that it isa great and glorious thing to be an American citizen, with all that the title implies, and no queen ever lived or ever shall live who can get ahead of a man who has had ancestors from évery State in the Union, and one Territory. At mid-Christmas day, the Chum entered the park in which Wind- sor Castle is situated, and mounted the main stoop of the castle three steps at a time, as became one of his republican instincts, Does ‘oo love oo ducky ? SHE: Epps. HE: Tiss I den. BOTH : Oh, how tweet. PREPARING FOR A SEAT. AUGHTER: I think I will wear my new hat and sealskin dolman down | town to-day, mamma. | MOTHER: Doesn't it look likea storm ? DAUGHTER: Yes, but I shall be very tired with my day's shopping, and I don’t want to stand all the way home in a ni crowded street car. COMMENDABLE CAUTION. US: I see that the Queen has for- bidden the admission into the house- hold of Windsor Castle of all newspapers containing reports of the Campbell divorce Little did the suspect what dreadful things had transpired within is a very cool Christmas when Lire’s | those sacred precincts since last he starved at one of the Imperia | dinners. | explanation. In the hallway, the perfect picture of able-bodied despair, sat Albert Edward John Henry Alexander Julius George, Prince of Wales, with Alexandrina Tabitha Henrietta Lulu Bessie J. Guelph, Princess of ‘Wales on ‘one side, and Edward Albert Henry George William R. Grace Guelph, their oldest son, on the other —all three weeping bitterly. Seeing them in such deep distress, the Chum waived his usual free and easy bearing, and rang the bell for the Chief Earl of the Annun- ciator to come up and announce him. The Prince rose, and weepingly embracing me, began to tell me the cause of his trouble, when a commanding voice from the floor above interrupted with : “Send the hireling to me!” “ Hireling,” said I, ‘‘Hireling ? What's the meaning of this?” “Well, you see, Smith,” began Wales, “‘ Battenberg has —" “Leaves! What in the name of Hoboken do I want with LEAVES?” came the stern voice from above, drowning the Prince's “Take the infernal book away and give me LIFE.” There was some encouragement for the Chum in this, and he was about to remark to this effect, when the Queen came tearing down the stairs, two steps at a time, and overlooking the last five in an Imperial case. Jack: Yes, I suppose she thinks they might poison the moral sensibilities of the Prince, R. A. D. F. Randolph publishes a book called “ Three Kings.” If Mr. Randolph cannot see his error here he certainly deserves to be called A. D. F. \ % HARD TO PLEASE. Employer : WHAT KIND OF A COSTUME IS THIS TO COME TO BUSINESS IN, SIR? Clerk: WHY, SIR, YOU SAID YESTERDAY I WAS DRESSED TOO MUCH FOR A CLERK, SO I LEFT SOME OFF, comicbooks.com