Life, 1887-06-02 · page 1 of 18
Life — June 2, 1887 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine, June 2, 1887 The main cartoon depicts a bedroom scene titled "LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME," showing what appears to be a domestic dispute. A character named John Henry confronts someone in bed, threatening punishment involving pie from "yesterday" and forced confinement—suggesting a humorous domestic punishment scenario rather than anything serious. Below are two poems: "THE IMPRESSION SHE MADE" describes a romantic evening where a man took a young woman to supper, and she only wanted "something that's cool"—likely a joke about her lack of romantic interest or emotional coldness despite his efforts. The humor relies on domestic courtship mishaps and romantic disappointment, typical of late-Victorian-era satirical magazine content. The specific identities of "John Henry" and the woman are unclear from the text alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Votume IX. No. 231. Ni i NM mui i Mh HUD AA HARTA “ HIN Tree ee an TTF Ca a LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME. Georgiana: JOHN HENRY, WAKE U HERE’S SOMEONE IN THE HOUSE! OH, WHAT shall WE DO? John Henry: Husu-sH-H! I HEAR nIM; HE’S RUMMAGING IN THE PANTRY NOW. KEEP PERFECTLY QUIET, AND HE MAY EAT SOME OF THAT PIE YOU MADE YESTERDAY, THEN WE'LL HAVE HIM! THE IMPRESSION SHE MADE. | So I brought pistache ice, meanwhile thinking, O doubt she had organs and members— Just the thing for a bit of green tulle. All living things have, as a rule, I was with her the whole of the evening, But really she mostly impressed me And I flirted and talked like a fool ; As a piece of extremely green tulle. Now my only remembrance of her, She could move—for we danced, I remember, Is of something in very green tulle, And tripped on that confounded stool : While waltzing, I thought of her only As an armful of very green tulle. Should we meet in the street on the morrow, I should pass her, I know, like a mule : I sha’n’t know her again till I meet her Then she ate, for I took her to supper— Arrayed in that very green tulle. All she wanted was ‘‘ something that’s cool ;”” MW. WwW, comicbooks.com