Life, 1888-05-31 · page 5 of 20
Life — May 31, 1888 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political Satire from Life Magazine, Page 305 This ornately decorated page satirizes European political crises of May 1888. The text references: **Bismarck's schemes**: German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck is accused of "coquetting with the Grand Old Party" (likely British Conservatives) regarding wedding cards and trust arrangements—apparently plotting diplomatic maneuvering. **Schurz's honors**: Carl Schurz, a German-American diplomat, receives recognition from European powers, suggesting diplomatic shuffling. **Colonial tensions**: References to "Ingalls and Voorhees" and conflicts in the Muscat region indicate disputes over colonial influence and territorial disputes. The elaborate border illustrations depict various European political figures and symbolic imagery commenting on these international tensions. The satire mocks the complexity and duplicity of late 19th-century European diplomacy and power struggles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
wove OV; master vant? MAY, 1888, goes without our re- gret. It has been a wretched, stormy, nasty month, and we have no further use for it. ‘It has not been without incident, however. That gay deceiver, Blaine, has been coquetting with the Grand Old Party to such an extent that she is quite bewildered, but evidently intends to issue the cards for the wedding and trust to luck to bring him to the scratch, + * HERR CARL SCHURZ has been received with distinguished honors in the country that once exiled him, having diplomatically prepared the ‘way in his address on Kaiser Wilhelm before he left America, Death sits by the bedside of the dead Emperor's successor, and pitilessly watches a hero's sufferings, The Pope has assisted England to coerce Ireland, and England has been scared well-nigh out of her senses by the warrior Wolseley. eek OVER here Ingalls and Voorhees have turned themselves leose to disgrace the Senate, and the Missis- sippi has been full again, and guilty of disorderly conduct. comicbooks.com