Life — September 12, 1889 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine, September 12, 1886 This page features a satirical dialogue between two women discussing a man's behavior. Miss Plantagenet De Vere complains that a man's "attentions to me are most offensive" and questions whether his wealth ("papa's") excuses such conduct. Miss Dolly Flicker responds with apparent sarcasm: "Why what else can it be?" The cartoon illustrates the social commentary: wealthy men of the Gilded Age could apparently behave inappropriately toward women with relative impunity, relying on financial status to offset offensive conduct. The exchange mocks both the man's presumption and society's tolerance of wealthy men's behavior toward women. The satirical point critiques the era's class-based double standard regarding propriety and acceptable social conduct.