Life, 1888-12-06 · page 7 of 16
Life — December 6, 1888 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 317 **"AT THE ACADEMY"** depicts a social scene at an art academy. A male painter (Mr. Broadbrush) is presenting his work to two fashionable women visitors (Mrs. Ambrose and Miss Violet). The women respond dismissively, hoping the painter didn't overhear their critical remarks about his picture—a typical satire on polite society's hypocrisy and the gap between public praise and private judgment regarding amateur artists. The three short jokes below mock working-class struggles: complaints about insufficient coal delivery, a tramp lacking carfare, and muddy roads in the countryside. These reflect common period concerns about poverty, urban infrastructure, and rural conditions in early 20th-century America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AT THE ACADEMY. Mr, Broadbrush (a promising painter); GOOD-MORNING! MRS. BUDROSE; GOOD-MORNING! Miss VioLeT. You must EXCUSE ME, LADIES, BUT I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU ADMIRE MY PICTURE. Both Ladies (suddenly and without thought): OW, MR, BROADBRUSH, I HOPE YOU DIDN'T HEAR WHAT WE SAID! GIVING FULL WEIGHT. “[PEAMSTER: Mrs. Pancake complains that the last ton of coal you sent her seems to be very light. COAL-DEALER: All right. Just shovel some slate into the next load—she'll find that heavy enough ! A Neepy Tramp—Walking home for lack of car-fare. CITY AND COUNTRY. OBERT (as he dolefully gazes up the muddy Squee- hawket road): Surely, you're not going to walk from the station, Uncle Abner! Can't we get a team somewhere ? UNCLE ABNER: Why, you ain't skeered at a little mud, are ye? After a year's travelin’ in the dug-up streets of N'York, I should think ye'd take to it like a duck ! comicbooks.com