Life — March 14, 1889 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily a **fashion advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It announces John Redfern & Sons, a high-end clothing manufacturer with branches in New York, London, Cowes, and Paris. The illustration depicts **six fashionably dressed women in 1889 clothing**—the "original models" of gowns, coats, and hats the company produced. The elaborate Victorian-era dresses, decorative hats, and refined styling showcase the luxury goods Redfern offered to wealthy female patrons. The ornate masthead reading "Redfern" and the date "1889" establish this as a seasonal announcement for the upcoming fashion season. The satirical magazine *Life* likely ran such ads to mock both high society's fashion obsessions and the extravagant spending habits of the wealthy elite—a common target of the publication's humor. This reflects no specific political content, but rather social satire about class and consumerism.