Life, 1888-02-02 · page 3 of 16
Life — February 2, 1888 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 59 This satirical illustration depicts a circular zodiac-style arrangement of figures surrounding a central text about Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebration. The page references a major historical event where Victoria held a jubilee "which all the people of the earth did travel miles to see." The text mentions the Pope had recently made a similar jubilee announcement, and notes that "Mrs. Guelph has joined the club that butts against XIII" (Roman numeral 13, likely referring to Pope Leo XIII). The circular composition arranges various social types and celebrities around this central event, with "Doctors Disagree" captioned at the bottom—suggesting satirical commentary on public reaction to Victoria's celebration. The dense, intricate cartooning style was typical of Life's detailed political satire of the 1890s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Regina J. Victoria, she gave a Jubilee, Which all the people of the earth did travel miles to see ; It was so very, very fine, she thought ‘twould ne'er be mated ; But this was months before the Pope had likewise Jubilated. His Holiness's gorgeous spree did turn Victoria green, And Mrs, Guelph has joined the club that butts against XIII. comicbooks.com