Life, 1888-12-27 · page 33 of 43
Life — December 27, 1888 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains several unrelated satirical pieces: **Top image**: A colonial-era print supposedly depicting New England Christmas celebrations, likely meant ironically—the formal dining scene appears austere compared to modern expectations. **"Seeing the Sights"**: Satirizes the newly wealthy Chicago meatpacking industry. Miss Porcine (surname humorously referencing pigs) proudly shows her Eastern guest her father's slaughterhouse, treating it as a tourist attraction. The joke mocks both nouveau riche materialism and the casual brutality of industrial butchering presented as entertainment. **Etymology note**: A brief aside on the phrase "raining cats and dogs." **Nursery maid exchange**: A racist dialect joke featuring a Black servant claiming face powder is "protection" (likely "complexion" mockingly rendered), playing on period stereotypes. **"Aztec Fragment"**: A short romantic comedy where a woman rejects a suitor for having too small a house—she's the fourth woman to reject him for this reason. The content reflects early 20th-century *Life* magazine's mix of class commentary, casual racism, and light humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FROM A RARE PRINT. SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT CuRistMAS Festivities IN NEW ENGLAND. SEEING THE SIGHTS. ISS PORCINE, of Chicago, has been showing her guest from the East through her father’s enormous establishment. “ How wonderful it all is!" exclaimed the guest. “Isn't it?" said Miss Porcine, “And now we will go to the slaughtering department—that is too fascinating. It's just lovely up there!" AN AZTEC FRAGMENT. ae : a 7 HIS scornful Aztec maiden has declined HE origin of the expression “ Raining cats and dogs," An alliance with this man who long hath pined. is probably the same as “ Hailing omnibuses.” Says she: ‘* Your house is much too small. =— Oh, no, you'll never do at all!” ISTRESS: How did you get that flour on your face, “She makes the fourth,” he says, ‘‘ of that rejective mind,” Abby ? Nursery Matp (colored): Dat ain’ no flow, dat ain’; dat am powdah fer mer perplection, A Warp OF SOCIETY—McAllister. Every dog has his day. The bark has a wake. comicbooks.com