Life, 1887-05-05 · page 7 of 16
Life — May 5, 1887 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Trying to Be Popular" - Life Magazine Satire This page contains two distinct sections: **Left side:** A cartoon titled "She is in QUITE VERY HARD" showing what appears to be a social scene with well-dressed figures, likely satirizing pretentious social behavior or romantic entanglement. **Right side:** A series of four comic panels titled "TRYING TO BE POPULAR" depicting children on what appears to be a balcony or railing attempting various stunts—jumping, acrobatics, and risky behavior—to impress each other. The satire mocks how children desperately seek peer acceptance through increasingly dangerous or ridiculous antics. The humor lies in the universal human drive for social approval manifesting as absurd physical comedy, particularly poignant when depicting youth. The accompanying articles discuss social registers and snobbery, reinforcing themes about social status-seeking and acceptance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
wd She: 18 tT RAINING VERY HARD? 4M, le Baron (who has just heard the expression “‘to rain cats and dogs”): Noxs ONLY A LEETLE; IT EES RAINING KITTENS AND PUPPIES. THE ORGAN OF SNOBDOM. HE Social Register has adopted a system of showing who is who, which is explained by the subjoined note clipped from its pages : It is intended to trace the lineage of all the families whose names are in the Register by inserting the married woman's maiden name and the initials of a person's father, and his or her mother's maiden name. This is a most delightful safeguard against the entrance into society of unworthy persons, A full set of parents must now be proved or the applicant for social honors goes to the wall. It is just as well that the public should be informed on such subjects, and we think it should be extended further, by ringing in the grandfather, and say- ing whether or not any relative, collateral or otherwise, has ever graced the gal- lows, and if so, for what crime; also, in what business profession or crime the “woman's " or™ person's" fortune was made, and of how many dollars such | fortune consists. LiFE is gratified to note that “ women” and “ persons " are to be admitted into society, and is altogether pleased with the Soctal Register as a key to Snobdom, its ways and byways. E commend the Rime of the Ancient Mariner to the Prohibitionists. | They will perceive what a hardship it is to have “* Water, water everywhere, And not one drop for drink.” AN INSOLUBLE MYSTERY. HY are we always so much more rejoiced at finding a dime than at earn- ing a dollar ?—Dry Goods Chronicle. We have to give it up, friend Chronicle. We have more than we can con- veniently manage accounting for our own peculiarities without attempting to explain the idiotic preferences of our contemporaries. 249 TRYING TO BE POPULAR. comicbooks.com