Life, 1887-01-13 · page 7 of 16
Life — January 13, 1887 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 21 This page contains several short humorous items typical of early 20th-century satirical magazines: **"An Ambitious Painting"** presents a dialogue between an amateur artist and friend about a painting titled "The Gathering of the Hosts." The friend asks what "that big block of eagles" signifies, and the artist admits they're actually vultures—a joke about the painting's unintentional poor execution or dark subject matter. **"Scraps"** section offers brief social observations, including satirical comments about fashion (wearing dead turkeys), American youth behavior, and military matters. **"A Superfluous Question"** humorously depicts a young lady asking her grandfather if he was in "the ark," with his witty retort that he would have "drowned else"—a joke about extreme old age. The remaining items are brief, typical magazine filler jokes with no clear political reference.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
21 AN AMBITIOUS PAINTING, MATEUR ARTIST (to friend): It’s rather an ambitious sub- ject, Charley. I call it H} ]N days, not old, when nights were cold, And Jack Frost held his sway, A Dodo bold, with wings of gold, Sang merrily hhis lay-hay-hay, “The Gathering of the Hosts.” Sang merrily his lay— ““My love is wondrous fair, With lots of cash to spare, And tho’ it's cold, ‘tis swell I'm told, No overcoat to wear. So I'll be bold, and th: No overcoat I'll wear:’” it's cold, So this brave wight, in clothing tight, Went forward to the fray ; He danced all night, but ere ‘twas light He'd caught pneu-mo-ni-ay-hay-hay, He'd caught pneu-mo-ni-ay, His little chest was sore, With mustard plasters raw, But ere he died, he faintly cried— “I've kept the sware I swore : A swell am I, you bet your eye, No overcoat I wore.” FRIEND: What does that big block of eagles signify, Fred, or are they vultures ? AMATEUR ARTIST (faintly) : Neither, Char- ley; they are angels. OW that the Camp- bells are declared in- nocent all interest in them seems to have died out. A FORGOTTEN DUTY. «<¢ JOHN,” said a wife in the middle of the night, rousing her hus- band, “I declare, I forgot to put the mackerel to soak.” “Um—Yum— Ah—I don’ b'lieve you’d—Um— Yum—got much on it if you had,” said sleepy John. SCRAPS. HE fashion in hats next season will require each girl to wear a real dressed turkey on her head. * * * THE first lesson in statesmanship learned by the American youth is to get rid of his surplus. * * * TRE Chicago nouveaux riches think that the aim of a Browning Club is to put the right shade of brown on a roast pig. ® * * LADY in Cincinnati takes her baby to the matinee, and keeps the youngster, during the performance, in a little balcony on the top of her hat. * * * ‘THE rumor that Ben Butler intends to organize a bag-eyed men’s party seems to lack confirmation. * * * A CHICAGO boss plumber was recently interviewed by a reporter, and when he saw his remarks in print, he wasso astonished at his intellectual stature, that he is now reading law and learning lawn tennis. * * * GERONIMO is discouraged with his campaign against quinine and fever, and is willing to go back on a Western reservation, if the government will pay him for the ammunition the has used in fighting the U. S. troops. A SUPERFLUOUS QUESTION. Youne Lapy (who has a great idea of her grandfather's age): Say, GRANDPAP, WERE YOU IN THE ARK? G. P.: WHY NO, MY DEAR. Y. L.: BUT, GRANDPA, YOU must HAVE BEEN; YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN drowned ELSE, 2 comicbooks.com