Life — May 26, 1887 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "How They Did It" - Life Magazine Satire This comic strip depicts **monkeys or apes progressively learning human behavior**, showing a satirical take on evolution or civilization's development. The sequential panels show the creatures advancing from basic tool use with a donkey, to standing upright, to using implements, to increasingly human-like activities culminating in what appears to be hunting or violence. The "Washington Dot" joke mocks **Virginians as self-righteous**, with a President asking "Daniel" (likely a reference to a historical or contemporary figure) why Virginians are "priggish." The punchline claims Virginia's self-importance stems from being "the mother of precedents"—a sarcastic dig at Virginia's historical prominence in American founding. The "Perverted Proverbs" section inverts common sayings for ironic effect: a bird in hand merely sells cheaply, and abstinence (rather than absence) makes hearts fonder—cynical reversals of conventional wisdom typical of satirical magazines' humor.