Life, 1887-12-08 · page 28 of 42
Life — December 8, 1887 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a satirical commentary on romantic duplicity. Two letters, both dated the same day from Venice, reveal a coordinated deception: **The Setup:** A woman (Cora Pendexter) writes to a Cincinnati man (Alfred Horner) breaking their engagement with tearful regrets. Simultaneously, a man (H. Swift) writes to a New York contact (Thomas Crayton) boasting about seducing that same Cincinnati girl—dismissing her as a fortune-hunter ("shekels") while he toys with her affections before leaving. **The Satire:** The "fragments" expose how both parties manipulate each other under false pretenses. The woman feigns heartbreak while the man treats romance as sport and conquest. The parallel letters—showing identical hypocrisy from both genders—mock Victorian courtship rituals and the performative dishonesty underlying romantic relationships. The illustration depicts figures on a Venetian bridge, a romantic setting that contrasts ironically with the cynical letters below.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
To Mr, ALFRED Horner, Cincinnati. Venice, Nov. 20, 1887, You never will realize, dear Alfred, how it grieves me to tell you what I Anow is my duty, # # # * It is horrid to break an engagement, and I shall not blame you if you despise me, but # * # Beas- sured I shall always regard you as my dearest friend, Most sincerely yours, Cora PENDEXTER. To Mr. THomas Crayton, New York. Venice, Nov. 20, 1887. Dear Tos :—I am having no end of fun over here. # *® © © Stunning girl from Cincinnati at same hotel; she thinks 1 am mashed * # # # madea dead set for me from the start, probably with an eye to my shekels, ® # ® ® Shall leave next week on my way around the globule. Ever yours, H, Swirt. comicbooks.com