Life, 1887-04-28 · page 3 of 18
Life — April 28, 1887 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Life" Magazine Page 231 Analysis This page satirizes several contemporary controversies. The ornate decorative border frames discussions of April events, including disputes over the authorship of works attributed to Richard Third and Arthur Richmond. The text references the "fishery question" (likely maritime trade disputes), the "Interstate Commerce Act" (regulatory legislation), and debates about whether "Tennyson is a poet." The bottom illustration labeled "Taurus—The 25th Bull" appears to be an astrological or zodiac-themed cartoon, though its specific political meaning is unclear from the visible elements. The overall tone mocks the month's various intellectual and political controversies as simultaneously trivial and hotly debated—typical of *Life* magazine's satirical approach to contemporary obsessions and mysteries occupying public attention.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
F April is ever raised to the pedestal of fame, the pedestal should have a bas-relief interrogation point upon it as being most symbolical of the history of the month, The great fishery question, ** What is the price of shad ?” has agitated alike rulers and ruled. The controversy over the authorship of Richard Third, so important an element in the history of March, has been retired into innocuous desuetude by the ever deepen- ing mystery surrounding the authorship of Arthur Richmond's blackguardly screeds and it is rumored that Mr. Lowell, the great investigator, is giving the matter his best attention. The Interstate Commerce Act has proved itself one of the most insoluble of mysteries, and ‘whom will it hit next 2” is a problem which has been daily propounded from the beginning to the end of April with a strong chance of hanging over into May. And last but by no means least is the question, ‘Is or is not Ten- <, nyson a poet ?” and if so, ** Why not?” comicbooks.com