Life, 1887-02-24 · page 5 of 16
Life — February 24, 1887 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 105 (February 14, 1887) The page contains two distinct items: **"To Mistress Prue: A Valentine"** (top) is a humorous Valentine's Day poem mocking romantic uncertainty, using fishing metaphors to express the suitor's anxiety about rejection. **"A Coming Star"** (bottom) is a satirical article about Buffalo Bill's Wild West show's recent performance. The piece humorously portrays Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody) as vain and temperamental. The accompanying caricature and anecdotes mock his ego—particularly a story where he compares himself favorably to famous actors like Irving and Bison, and his complaint about damaged property during performances. The satire suggests Buffalo Bill's inflated sense of his own theatrical importance compared to legitimate stage actors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TO MISTRESS PRUE. A VALENTYNE, O, Valentyne, unto ye Mayde Yt hath my Hearte in sore Distress, Bidd Her be not afrayde To tell me Yes. Tell Her of Fyckle Man, & say Yt I am all uncertayne, so Yt, come another Day, She may say No. More Fyshes are there in ye Sea Wherein to cast ye Hooke, I trow; & if she wolde catch Me— Then catch Me now! Her Worshipper, Ye Idle Idyller. Feby 14, 1887. A COMING STAR. PROBABLY IN TRAGEDY, T was immediately after the one hundredth performance of Mr. :Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show that a reporter of LiFe called upon one of the Bucking Ponies for the purpose of eliciting a few items of bronchial information. ‘The gentleman was found in his sumptuously furnished box stall smoking a cigar and toying gently with some fricasseed hay. He stniled pleasantly as he rose, and with much empressement Varn EXTENDED A HOOF OF WELCOME ; | to the reporter, and stated how much he appreciated the attentions of the dear people of the East, and how he longed for next season to come around, when he expects to appear before them in a full line of star parts. ‘What ! are you going to desert Mr. Bison?” asked the reporter. “Well, yes; I’m afraid that’s about the size of it,” replied the Pony. “You see, William and I don’t get along well together. He is jealous of my abilities asa marksman, Perhaps you heard how I broke three boxes of glass balls last evening at one shot. I was loaded with a Cheyenne squaw, who inadvertently stuck a spur into my ribs, and I fired her off at short range. Besides breaking the balls it killed the lady, and as the Government charges the management four dollars for every damaged red man or woman, Buffalo took that as an excuse to get mad. My resignation was handed in immediately, to take effect after the London season.” ‘What parts do you expect to play next year?” “Well, I can’t exactly say. I am to create an original part in a comedy Steele Mackaye is writing for me, and Mr. Rice has made me a flattering offer to give my celebrated imitation of Dixey and Nat Goodwin in the ‘Heifer.’ Did you ever see me as Irving ?” The reporter expressed himself in the negative, but indulged the | hope that Mr. Broncho would give him a private view. “Why, certainly I will,” he replied, giving his mane a backward toss and extending his nostrils slightly forward. “There!” he said, turning around and eyeing his visitor. is my make up as “This IRVING.” “Capital!” said the reporter, “Your front legs are the perfect counterpart of Irving’s, while the expression of your face is decidedly that of Mathias in ‘ The Bells.’” comicbooks.com