Life, 1889-07-18 · page 7 of 16
Life — July 18, 1889 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Life Magazine, Page 35 **Main Image**: "Life's Gallery of Beauties No. 34" features boxer **John L. Sullivan**, a famous heavyweight champion of the late 19th century, displayed as a muscular physique specimen. **"Our Jack" Article**: The accompanying text is a patriotic celebration of Sullivan as embodying American heroism and "noble" manhood. It sarcastically elevates his boxing prowess to national significance, suggesting children will learn of his fighting achievements as part of American heritage. **"A Bad Drawing"**: The small cartoon appears to mock artistic incompetence—likely editorial commentary on poor illustration quality. **Context**: This represents the widespread lionization of boxers in late-19th-century American popular culture, when prize fighters were celebrated as national heroes symbolizing American vigor and superiority.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
35 OUR JACK. Acts an instance of the sturdy Puritan courage which found no terrors in the bleak desolation of New England's rocky shores, and which felled the forests of the West to make way for the march of Ameri- can civilization, Again a son of brave old Massachusetts evinces that stalwart, patient heroism which, through suffering, leads up to victory. Well may America bow down to Boston and envy the city which has given us the peerless Sul- livant Our benisons on thee, Jack, and may thy deltoid never grow less! Thy name shall 0 booming down to posterity as symboliz- ing all that was noblest in American man- hood, Our children, as they read column after column in the daily prints telling how thou didst land thy left on thy opponent's ribs with a resounding thwack, and didst throw him down and jump on him, shall come to consider thee a greater man than any of thy time. And when incited thereto by these gory chronicles they shall dub the family dog an and the neighbor's cat Kilrain, and let them fight to a finish, then, as eyes are gouged out and blood flows and they clap their hands in childish glee, then ‘shall we know how great a man thou art and how thou hast set the imprint of thy noble nature on the times. Mighty art thou, indeed, for hast not thou and thy following set at naught the law in four American states? What other man could do the same? Jack, thou and thy low-browed friends and the newspapers which print the news and all the news, are mighty in the land, and may well exult over that coward crowd that calls you brutes and dares do no more than whimper and complain, LIPE'S GALLERY OF BEAUTIES. No. 24. JONN 1. SULLIVAN. this critic believes, is essentially modern, * holding the mirror up to his own time, and objectively picturing the present age.” These views will be new to many who have looked upon Meredith as belonging to the romantic school, with little hold on any domain except that of his prolific imagination. It seems to us that Mr. Larremore’s view is very near the truth. Meredith has depicted exceptéonal and not conventional men and women of our generation as they really are. One may not agree, however, with this critic's view that Meredith's dialogue “is always perfectly in keeping with the persons repre- sented.” This is true of its substance, but in form all his men speak very much alike, and all are painfully clever. Droch. A BAD DRAWING. comicbooks.com