Life — January 20, 1887 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "At the Theatre" and "In the Field" This page contrasts two scenes of American society. The upper illustration labeled "At the Theatre" depicts an ornate, crowded indoor venue with audiences in formal dress, suggesting wealth and refined entertainment. The lower illustration, "In the Field," shows a chaotic outdoor scene with what appears to be a bull or large animal amid crowds, suggesting rural or agricultural activity—possibly a bullfight or similar spectacle. The partial text at bottom references "THE COMING REACTION AGAINST" and mentions "THE HON. BUFFALO" (likely Buffalo Bill). This suggests satire comparing civilized urban entertainment with frontier/Wild West spectacles, probably critiquing American cultural pretensions or the contrast between Eastern sophistication and Western showmanship popular in the period.