Life — July 11, 1889 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Parisian Accent" — Life Magazine, July 11, 1889 This cartoon satirizes social pretension and the fashion for French culture among wealthy Americans. A well-dressed woman arrives at what appears to be a wealthy household with a parrot, claiming it speaks French. She pitches the bird to the male head of household as a status symbol—a way for his lady to practice "a little French." The joke hinges on dual meaning: "Polly speak a little French" references both the parrot's ability and a euphemistic suggestion about the woman herself. The punchline—"Oh, I will take him!"—suggests the man is interested in more than just the bird's linguistic talents. The satire mocks nouveau-riche American aspirations to European sophistication while playing on period assumptions about French morality and the commodification of both birds and women as luxury accessories.