Life, 1887-10-13 · page 7 of 16
Life — October 13, 1887 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "What Chance for Art?" - Life Magazine Cartoon This satirical cartoon mocks the displacement of classical artistic taste by commercial entertainment. The caption references removing "that horrid old no-armed Venus" (the famous armless ancient statue) to make room for a "lovely new four-oared crew" (likely a rowing team). The scene shows fashionable women gathered around what appears to be a parlor or social space, seemingly indifferent to high art. The satire targets the era's growing commercialization of culture and the prioritization of sports/athletics (represented by the rowing crew) over traditional fine art appreciation. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about modernization eroding classical aesthetic values among the leisure class—a recurring theme in *Life* magazine's social criticism during this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: their sleeves at such a domestic flurry, humor the exas- perated man for five or ten minutes and coddle him back to equanimity and good-cheer by the music of their voices. But Miss Phelps starts the poor man off in a passion to a violent death by accident, and then puts him through a hundred different phases of remorse in the really beautiful country “between the gates.” In the course of years the wife dies also, and with rare magnanimity for a woman informs the repentant husband at the outer gate that she did not have any score to settle with him 203 on account of his ill-humor, and had actually forgotten all about it. If Miss Phelps had been true to nature she would have made the woman say: “My dear Esmerald, you certainly were very unreasonable and cruel to be angry with me, but if you will only buy me a splendid new gown and bon- net, suited to this mild and salubrious climate, I'll try to forgive you. Which is the fashionable shade here, dear?” “We are all shades here,” said Esmerald, with a twinkle in his eye, and peace reigned in the family forever after. WHAT CHANCE FOR ART? One of the Girls: Ov, MR. DREAMER, OUR PARLOR IS LOVELY Now! VENUS YOU ADMIRED SO MUCH, AND PUT THE LOVELY NEW FOUR-OARED CREW IN HER PLACE. WE HAVE TAKEN DOWN THAT HORRID OLD NO-ARMED THE FRESH AIR FUND. WE st pleased to acknowledge the receipt of further contribu- tions to the Fund as follows : Previously acknowledged Ety. . . LS. $964.00 3.00 3.00 «$970.00 AFTER OVID. L™: however rosy, must be fed ; Songs, however airy, must be hushed ; Books, however sinful, must be read ; Hair, however auburn, must be brushed. MME. NICOLINtI takes the cake—the Patti-cake. comicbooks.com