Life, 1888-04-19 · page 7 of 18
Life — April 19, 1888 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 223 This page contains three separate satirical items from an early 20th-century Life magazine: **"Controllable Grief"** depicts a funeral scene where two women explain they didn't cry because they lacked handkerchiefs—a joke about Victorian propriety prioritizing appearance over genuine emotion. **"Anticipating Revenge"** mocks a legal case where a man named Quibble boasts about being retained in "boodle" (bribery) trials, suggesting he's repeatedly involved in corrupt legal proceedings. **"They Will Go On Forever"** and **"A Home Thrust"** are brief satirical quips about actors and social pretension, likely contemporary references now obscure. The cartoons collectively ridicule Victorian affectation, legal corruption, and social hypocrisy through witty dialogue and caricature—typical of Life's satirical approach during this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CONTROLLABLE GRIEF. “FANNY AND I WERE THE ONLY TWO AT THE FUNERAL, MAMMA, WHO DID NOT CRY." “DIDN'T YOU FEEL LIKE CRYING ?” “OH, YES, BUT COULDN'T; WE HAD NO HANDKERCHIEFS.” ANTICIPATING REVENGE. OVING AUNT (¢o erring nephew): It would be useless to speak to your uncle, Charles. You know what a strong will he has. CHARLES: Ah, just wait till it goes to probate ! THEY WILL GO ON FOREVER. RIEFLESS: Congratulate me, Quibble! I’ve got a case at last. Qu1BBLE: Good! What is it? BRIEFLESS: I’m retained in the “boodle” trials. QuIBBLE: Immense! You're fixed for life. A GROUP of fashionably attired actors should remind us of the nation’s emblem—the stars and stripes. A HOME THRUST. Clay Pipe (to real Havana): SURE, YER NEEDN'T BE PUTTING ON SO MANY AIRS, YOU WERE BORN IN A TENE- MENT HOUSE YOURSELF, PROBABLY.