Life — February 7, 1889 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a satirical scene from a masquerade ball. The dialogue reveals the joke: a woman expresses shock that her companion Ulrich never mentioned this was a masked ball, and Ulrich responds (in a "tragic whisper") that the figure revealed is the Vicomte de Grosnez—appearing "with his own face." The satire targets the Vicomte de Grosnez, suggesting his actual appearance is so grotesque or ridiculous that it appears as a *mask itself*—his genuine face is indistinguishable from costume disguise. This is a personal insult implying extreme ugliness or comical physiognomy. The joke relies on readers recognizing Grosnez as a contemporary figure, likely a public personality or aristocrat known to Life's audience, whose appearance was considered fair game for mockery.