Life, 1888-12-20 · page 1 of 14
Life — December 20, 1888 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Chilly Evening" from Life Magazine, December 20, 1888 This illustration depicts a domestic scene titled "A Chilly Evening," showing a couple in Victorian dress. The "Unwelcome Suitor" sings a song, which the woman finds pleasant but the man (appearing to be her father or guardian) finds annoying. The accompanying text reveals the joke's darker implication: the suitor is from Philadelphia and only "caught on" the next morning by train—suggesting he overstayed his unwelcome visit. The satire targets persistent, unwanted romantic suitors who impose themselves on households despite clear social rejection. The "chilly" title references both the cold evening and the frosty reception the man receives from the protective male figure present.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XII. NEW YORK, DECEMBER 20, 1888. ~ NUMBER 372. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter Copyright, 1888, by Mrrewmit & Mitume. wal prslicanys SVM. , A CHILLY EVENING. Unwelcome Suitor : THAT'S A LOVELY SONG! IT ALWAYS CARRIES ME AWAY. She: If 1 HAD KNOWN HOW MUCH PLEASURE IT COULD GIVE US BOTH, I SHOULD HAVE SUNG IT EARLIER IN THE EVENING, He was from Philadelphia, and it was not until the next morning, in the train, that he “caught om," and his heart grew sich as he viewed the kindly hint in the light of subsequent events, comicbooks.com