Life, 1888-05-31 · page 9 of 20
Life — May 31, 1888 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 309 This page contains several unrelated satirical pieces typical of Life's format: **"Great Luck"** (top right): A social comedy where a father is relieved his daughter refused a suitor, Mr. Paperwate, who abandoned her after being rejected—until he learns the man subsequently won five consecutive billiards games, making him suddenly "respectable" again. The satire targets how arbitrary social status can be. **"A Comforting Suggestion"**: A brief joke about dental pain—toothache sufferers should have a leg amputated instead, as the distraction will ease the tooth pain. **Other content** includes references to "Warton Winifred" (likely a popular novel), commentary on New York society figures, and what appears to be a crowd scene cartoon. The overall tone is light social satire typical of early 20th-century American humor magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TAFE, sygatagnttt oy uh “ail My gia ty ee P) h HOW] ‘LITTLE WE CAN TELL! Phebe: Look, UNCLETJOHN; THERE IS THE AUTHORESS OF *‘ WANTON WINIFRED,” THAT SHOCKING BOOK EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT. Uncle John: THE OLD HAG! WHO, PRAY, IS THE SWEET, MODEST GIRL SHE HAS IN TOW? Phebe: OH, she 18 THE AUTHORESS; THE OLD HAG IS HER MAMMA, AND, THEY SAY, quite RESPECTABLE. 309 GREAT LUCK. “cc APA,” said a beautiful girl, as the old gentle- man came in very late, “did you notice the dead body of a young man in the yard?” “Why, no; what’s the mat- ter?” “T refused young Mr. Paper- wate to-night, and from the hopeless, despairing look upon his face when he staggered from the house, I fear he may have killed himself.” “Well, I'm glad you refused him,” said the old man spitefully, “he has just beaten me five straight games of billiards.” A COMFORTING SUG- GESTION. OM: Got a toothache? Why don’t you have it out ? Bos: Well, I don’t mind having a leg off—but a tooth, it— Tom: Well, have a leg off, then—it will take your mind off the tooth. T is when a man has been mentioned in the news- papers as “one of our most prominent citizens” that he begins to stay out late nights. E would jsuggest Jack the Giant Killer as a mascot for the New York Club. A HACKNEYED PHRASE—Cab, sir? ROWN (of Chicago): That fellow is looking at you rather hard. Do you know him? 5 Mrs. BRown: His face “Y'3 does look familiar. What's loes look fa N his name? Brown: Goldplate, I be- lieve. Mrs. Brown: Oh, yes; I remember him now. He was my first husband. HOUED not the Board of Electrical Control attend to the burial of the electric light wires’ victims? . Mr. SMITH, OF NEW YORK. comicbooks.com