Life, 1889-10-24 · page 7 of 18
Life — October 24, 1889 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "A Result of Culture" This satirical cartoon depicts a social embarrassment: a proper Boston hostess (Mrs. Beacon) introduces a newly arrived woman (Mrs. Day) to her guests, but the newcomer is still wearing her outdoor coat and hat—appearing unkempt among the formally dressed company. The caption's dialogue reveals the joke: Mrs. Day has just arrived "from supper," suggesting she came directly from a casual meal without properly preparing herself for polite society. The satire mocks nouveau riche or socially awkward individuals who lack cultural refinement and proper etiquette. "Culture" here means the social graces and dress codes expected of respectable society. The cartoon suggests that some people, despite their wealth or status, cannot master the unwritten rules of upper-class presentation—a common *Life* magazine theme critiquing American social pretension and class anxiety during the Gilded Age.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A RESULT OF CULTURE. Hostess to Guest: Ms, Beacon, 1 WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MRS. Day, A NEW ARRIVAL IN BOSTON, AND A CHARMING WOMAN, SHE IS JUST COMING UP FROM SUPPER. Mrs. B.: Ov, DON'T, 1 BEG OF YOU! SHE IS MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR. JRDERER: What's the news? SHERIFF: 3 inch hemp. Dunleath Abbey: or, The Fatal Inheritance. By Hanae Pens Dilts, New York: G.W. Kathie, By Anne Oldfield Wiggs. New York: G. W.Dillinghas Paddling in Florida. By St. George Rathborne, New Yor! W. Dillingham, Literary Gems. Six Volumes. I. The Gold Bug. Poe. Il. Rab and Hit Friends, Brown. Ill. The Good-Natured Man, Goldsmith. IV. Gur Best Society. Curtiss. V. Sweetness and Light. Arold. VI. The Culprit Fay. Drake. New York and London: G, P. Putnam's Sons. Banguet of Palacior. A Comedy. By Charles Leonard Moore. Philadelphia: C. L. Moore. The Romance of Dollard. By Mary Hartwell Catherwood, New York: The Century Company. Daddy Jake, the Runaway, and Other Stories. By Joel Chandler Harris ("Uncle Remus"), New York? The Century Company. Two Runaways, and Other Stories, By Harry Stillwell Edwards. Illustrated by E, W, Kemble, New York: The Century Company. 1 Will Neer Consent. By Dolores Marbourg. New Vork: Belford & Company. Englith Lands, Letters, and Kings, From Celt to Tudor. By Dooald G. Mitchell. New York: Charles Seribr a ALL ABOUT THEM. ROF. RODDER: Can you tell me anything about the Bahamas ? Smart Boy: Yes, sir, The Atlantic. “OBWIGGER: When your wife found those pool-tickets in your pocket did she say anything before she threw them in the fire? Brown: Yes. She asked if any of them were winners. WHERE THE FAIR SHOULD BE HELD, comicbooks.com