Life, 1887-02-17 · page 3 of 20
Life — February 17, 1887 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Valentine Verse of Hans to Katrina" This is a humorous Valentine's Day piece from February 17, 1887. The decorative border features hearts, flowers, and romantic imagery typical of Valentine's Day illustrations. The "verse" is a comedic love poem written in German dialect English, presenting a suitor (Hans) declaring his affection for Katrina through a catalog of food preferences rather than romantic sentiment. He expresses love for her while listing German foods—Rhine wine, cheese, sauerkraut, pickled snout, noodle soup—concluding with the sentiment that he loves her "as my Valentine." The humor lies in the contrast between genuine romantic expression and this crude, food-focused declaration, likely satirizing working-class German-American courtship customs or parodying sentimental Valentine conventions by substituting culinary tastes for emotional depth.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VotumE VIII. FEBRUARY 17TH, No. 216. 1887. THE VALENTINE VERSE OF HANS TO KATRINA. VY UST pedt I lofe der peer, der vine, Der schniips imported py der Rhine ; Der sweitzer-kase, der sauer-kraut, Der bretzel unt der pickled snout, Der hasenpfeffer unt noodle soup— I yust could eat dose tings all oop: Budt more ash dose, O sweet Katrine, I lofe you pe my Valentine. comicbooks.com