Life, 1887-06-16 · page 12 of 16
Life — June 16, 1887 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 340 Analysis This page contains three separate humor pieces: **"Losing One's Head"**: A dialogue joke where Mrs. Tompkins claims women never lose composure in danger. When challenged to name a woman in history who did, her opponent responds "Marie Antoinette"—a reference to the French queen who was executed by guillotine during the Revolution. The joke's dark humor relies on readers understanding that she literally lost her head. **"A Tough Chicken"**: An illustration showing men struggling with an aggressive chicken, humorously depicting ordinary poultry as formidable opposition. **"Foreign Items"**: A satirical section mocking current events, particularly Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebration (which appears to have saturated British commerce). The jokes ridicule absurd applications of "jubilee" branding and exaggerate international incidents for comedic effect. The page exemplifies Life's style: political-social satire mixing wordplay, visual gags, and commentary on contemporary news and commercialism.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
340 LOSING ONE’S HEAD. “cc CLAIM this for our sex,” said Mrs. Tompkins, with a raspy emphasis, to a cynical young man who had been decrying the “higher rights of women,” “in time of emergency they are always self-possessed. Now, sir, I challenge you to name a woman in history who, in the presence of danger, ever lost her head.” “W-ell, er— how about Marie Antoi- nette?” SEE you have a rod, line, plenty of flies, a basket and a landing net; but where's your reel. young man?” said the guide, sorting over the traps. “Oh, we'll get that after drinking up the bait.” DUAL LIFE—An Arizona news- paper editor's. HE recent Mexican law to the effect that every man must wear trousers is a good one and ought to be enforced. The only objection we have to trousers is that they bag at the knees. A TOUGH CHICKEN. FOREIGN ITEMS. T is announced in London that ‘‘ Red Shirt,” Buffalo Bill’s Indian, who was recently interviewed by the Queen, will become a “ par- lor humorist” on his return to America. * * * Te Queen will expect all who attend her next drawing-room to deposit a Jubilee ‘‘tip” in a Chinese vase which will be found standing at the front door. * * * HE recent French crisis was stolen by a burglar and cannot be found. * * * T is not true that Buffalo Bill is contributing London society notes to a Boston paper. * * EXT month the Czar will mass a body-guard of 300,000 men and take a fish on the Black Sea. * * * PHILADELPHIA candy-dealer has bought nine bushels of the French crown jewels to be used in making up prize packages. * * * UEEN VICTORIA'S Jubilee, which will be celebrated in a few Q days, has for months past kept her loyal subjects in a state of jubilant expectation, and they now all seem to have Jubilee on the brain. Tradesmen advertise jubilee whiskey, jubilee trousers, jubilee snuff, jubilee bibles, jubilee antibliious pills, jubilee garters, jubilee polkas, jubilee store-teeth and ministers of all denominations deliver jubilee | sermons. An enthusiastic Israelite named William has changed his name to Neto ORUES WR, AE TAR HOLN PEER. OV. BEEN RIOST | Jew'billy, and a fashionable dress-maker has just invented a new 7 WELL, 7 s | ‘bustle, which, when squeezed by its fair owner, will play ‘‘God Save EVERYWHERE, BUT OI'LL ATE ME HEAD IF IVER Of SEE A GOLD- "the Queen.” FISH LOIKE THAT BEFORE. Would jubilee've it THE GARDEN GLOBE AGAIN. comicbooks.com