Life, 1887-10-06 · page 1 of 16
Life — October 6, 1887 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine, October 6, 1887 This page from the satirical magazine *Life* features a domestic humor cartoon mocking marital discord. The caption presents a dialogue where Mrs. Brown, after an "exceptionally fine dinner," warns her husband that if he brings gentlemen home unexpectedly, he must not complain if everything isn't perfect. Her husband responds that she should make no excuses—he wasn't hungry anyway. The satire targets the tension between Victorian domestic expectations and reality: wives were expected to maintain perfect households at all times, yet husbands brought guests home unannounced. The joke inverts typical complaint patterns, with the husband preemptively shutting down his wife's apologies, suggesting both marital tension and the absurdity of impossible domestic standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 6, 1887. NUMBER 249. Entered at New Vork Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1887, by Mrrowai, & Mnise. Mrs. Brown (after exceptionally fine dinner): | TELL MY HUSBAND THAT IF HE WILL BRING GENTLEMEN HOME UNEXPECTEDLY, HE MUSTN'T COMPLAIN IF EVERYTHING ISN'T RIGHT. Dumley: PRAY MAKE NO EXCUSES, 1 WASN'T AT ALL HUNGRY, comicbooks.com