Life, 1888-07-19 · page 1 of 14
Life — July 19, 1888 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page, July 19, 1888 This page contains a single cartoon titled "International" depicting a domestic scene between a man and woman at a doorway. The caption reads: "Teutonic American: Is the Gnadiges Fraulein at home this morning? / German Maid: Nein, Mein Herr. She has gone to the Bad." The humor relies on a play on words: "Bad" in German means "bath," but an English speaker would read it as the English word "bad," suggesting the woman has gone somewhere morally questionable. The joke mocks German-American communication confusion and plays on stereotypes about German immigrants and their language. The elaborate decorative border on the left contains various illustrated vignettes, typical of Life's ornamental design style from this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
—s VOLUME XII. NEW YORK, JULY 10, 1888. NUMBER 290. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1888, by Mircwmit & Mice. sive ifth be sed INTERNATIONAL. Teutonic American: Is THY, GNADIGES FRAULEIN AT HOME THIS MORNING? German Maid: Nix, Mvix Herr, SH HAS GONE To THE Bap. comichooks.coy)