Life, 1888-11-15 · page 5 of 16
Life — November 15, 1888 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 271 This page contains several humorous anecdotes and satirical sketches rather than political cartoons. The left side shows "How the Inventive Pup Outwitted the Sarcastic Kitten"—a series of small comic drawings depicting a dog's competitive interactions with a cat. The main content includes three brief comedic stories: "Worse Yet," "His Crowning Effort" (about a poet named Lionel seeking fame), "What He Pulled Up" (a Texas rancher anecdote), and "On a Chromo Basis" (a dialogue between an art dealer and a character named Skinner Weepit about picture frame pricing). The humor relies on wordplay and situational comedy rather than political reference. This appears typical of Life's early satirical approach—domestic humor and social observation rather than commentary on specific contemporary events.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE: 271 HOW THE INVENTIVE PUP CIRCUMVENTED THE SARCASTIC KITTEN. WORSE YET. “JOHN, YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO A WORD I AM SAYING!" “WHY, MY DEAR, TAM ALL EARS.” “I KNOW YOU ARE, AND THAT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE PROVOKING,” HIS CROWNING EFFORT. se H, Lionel, that poem is beautiful!” “Yes, Agatha, it is the crowning effort of my life.” “ And, Lionel—my Lionel! it will bring you fame, eternal fame, will it not?” “Yes, Agatha—and perhaps two dollars.” WHAT HE PULLED UP. HE other day I rowed down the river,” said an old Texan granger, ‘and saw some cowboys staking off a claim in the richest bottom-land on my — place. They were armed with Winchester rifles, and were desp'rately impudent.” Did you pull up their stakes?” asked his neighbor. “Not much!" was the reply. “I pulled up the stream.” “cc ON A CHROMO BASIS, GEINNER WEETPIT (to art dealer): An’ how much d'ye say this ‘ere pictur’s worth? ArT DEALER: Eight hundred dollars, sir; and you can, of course, select any style of frame that you may think appropriate. WeerpitT: Eight hundred dollars!) Why, man alive, at that rate o’ figgerin’ any decent kind o° frame would cost fifteen hundred! Come on, Mariar; I can't stand this foolin’. comicbooks.com