Life, 1888-12-27 · page 23 of 43
Life — December 27, 1888 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains four separate satirical jokes targeting class pretensions and social snobbery of the era: **"Couldn't Be More So"**: Two women discuss an engagement to "rank—a duke." The pun plays on marrying for aristocratic title rather than genuine affection. **"A Likely Nation"**: A young English visitor claims English people must be "nice" because they make "excellent servants"—satirizing American assumption that the English are primarily suited to servile roles. **"Italian Without a Master"**: A visual gag (image only) about an untethered or uncontrolled Italian. **"A Fine Country Place"**: Mr. Montague admires photographs of what he believes is Charley's Vermont estate, but Charley reveals it's actually *closed for the season*—exposing the pretense of owning a grand country home he doesn't actually use or occupy. The overarching theme mocks American and European social climbing, where status symbols (aristocratic marriages, estates, servants) matter more than substance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
COULDN'T BE MORE SO. H fi (iu nt I ae i Miss Emeline: AND $0 CAROLINE 18 ENGAGED, EH? IS SHE GOING TO MARRY RANK ? Afiss Angelina: Yes, VERY RANK—A DUKE, I BELIEVE. A LIKELY NATION. OUNG ENGLISHMAN (dining with the family): You have never been in England, have you, Bobby? Bossy: No, sir; but I think the English must be nice people. YounG ENGLISHMAN: And why, Bobby ? Bossy: Because ma says they make such excellent servants. ITALIAN, WITHOUT A MASTER, A FINE COUNTRY PLACE. OUNG MR. MONTAGUE (/ook- ing over some photographic views of Sandringham): Why, 1 declare, Charley, the whole thing is lovely! And so this really represents your country home in Vermont. I certainly must run up and see it! CHARLEY: Yaas, do, deah boy, but not this year; it’s closed for the sea- son, you know ! comicbooks.com