Life, 1889-04-25 · page 5 of 25
Life — April 25, 1889 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine (Volume XIII, Number 330) contains a satirical illustration and poem titled "Destiny." The cartoon depicts a social scene with three figures: a woman in an elaborate dress, two men in formal attire, and decorative plants. The caption quotes Mr. Bloomingdale Ward apologizing to Miss Dolly Flicker for some unspecified offense. The accompanying poem contrasts two time periods (1789 and 1889)—exactly one century apart. It mocks the decline of a noble family's fortunes: where an ancestor danced at George Washington's inaugural ball as a "high-bred, gracious, placid dame," her great-great-grandson now "lords it o'er / The village school, a mile or more / From Dobbs, his ferry." The satire targets wealth's impermanence and American social mobility—even aristocratic families could fall to modest circumstances within generations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NUMBER 330. Mr. Bloomingdale Ward (tremulously, after venturing a kiss): I—I—I BEG PARDON. I DIDN'T MEAN TO. Miss Dolly Flicker (severely): 1f YOU HAD BEEN SINCERE I MIGHT HAVE FORGIVEN YOU. DESTINY. 1889. F noble lineage and name, Alas, what blows are dealt by fate Of fine old English stock she came, When the great day we celebrate A high-bred, gracious, placid dame, Shall her descendants, with the great, Stately and tall. Dance and make merry? With measured step and pirouette Alack! But one is to the fore, She danced the solemn minuet Her grandson’s son, who lords it o'er In Gen’ral Washington’s own set The village school, a mile or more At that first ball. From Dobbs, his ferry! comichooks.celu)