Life, 1889-07-04 · page 9 of 20
Life — July 4, 1889 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 9 This page satirizes Fourth of July celebrations and military life circa early 1900s. The top section mocks a bartender's claimed abstinence through a street-car anecdote about a child noticing his "other eye" — implying the bartender drinks secretly despite denying it. The lower illustrations humorously document Independence Day activities: dogs with firecrackers, a "Knickerbocker Club" member, soldiers marching "Going to Meals," officers viewing "Shadow Pictures," and a police squad responding to a man with a "magnifying glass" discovering an "end of a burnt match" — mocking both military bureaucracy and the trivial disturbances that consume official attention on the holiday. The satire targets pretension, hidden vice, and the absurdity of military protocol.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
9 TOTAL ABSTINENCE NECESSARY, O you ever drink liquor, young man?" he asked. “No, sir; never,” replied the young man with a “shudder. “The nature of my business won't permit it.” “Tam glad to know that. What is your business ? “I'm a bartender.” ] N a street-car, seated directly opposite a lady and her innocent appearing son of about six years, sat a man with a glass eye. The youngster had been gazing intently on his victim for some time. All at once he appeared very uneasy, when to Damon O'Rourke (to Pythias Murphy): DON'T LUT'S FIRE OFF the great amusement of the passengers he exclaimed: “Say, OUR LAST CRACKER; MAYBE WE'LL FIND A STRAY GOAT SOME- vy don'tivou wink at ma withthe Ghecen a WHERES AND DEN WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE FUN WID HIM, mister, why don you wink at ma ¢ other eye, too? THE EVENING OF THE FOURTH. WITH THE 7th AT PEEKSKILL. Ovr ARTIST AND HIS DeteEcTIVE CaMeRa, A Member of the Knicker- bocker Club. Time, 5 a.m. ~ Gotxe To Meats. Sergeant : Now, then, facing distance, don't crowd. THE Potice Sevan. The wild excitement is caused by the man with the magnifying glass, who has discovered «an end of a burnt match, Dis ks ee ae Snavow PICTURES. row at night. EXTRACT FROM GEXPRAL ORDERS. Roll Call, 4.50 a, m. “ During the afteFicon, from 2 until 5, the men shall have to themselves, to rest from the labors of the day.” ‘The above is a view of the parade ground during those hours. comicbooks.com