Life, 1889-12-12 · page 3 of 16
Life — December 12, 1889 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XIV, Number 363) This page contains several brief comedic dialogues and illustrations typical of Life's satirical humor: **"R.S.V.P."** mocks bureaucratic incompetence through a postmaster appointment joke. **"A True Sign"** plays on superstition, with characters debating whether a howling dog portends death—ultimately revealing ironic commentary about human nature and materialistic concerns. **"Amy"** jokes about young Dalley's constant cane-sucking as a behavioral control method. **"An Applicant"** presents a porter's job interview, with the punchline being that a City Editor already fills the vacancy. The main illustration shows two fashionable women on a balcony observing something below, captioned with commentary about a creature's "natural advantages." **"Presuming the Midnight Oil"** (lower cartoon) depicts someone working late at a desk. The final dialogue concerns marriage's effect on bachelor friendships—light social satire typical of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
R.S. Vv. P. $e THOUGHT the President only ap- pointed first-class post- masters?” “So he does.” “Then who the deuce appointed Wanamaker?” A TRUE SIGN. ONES: There was a dog howling under my window last night, and— SMITH — (knowéngly): ‘That was a sign of death. Jones: You bet it was! ly And, as I was going to . say, it was the first time lever found a brick when I wanted one, MY: What an ab- surd habit that is ont. of young Dalley’s—al- _ ways sucking his cane. a chart 2 a hs ainting Susie: I think it is a - in colon! good plan. It keeps him from talking, you know. A’ PLICANT (0 re- porter): Are there any vacancies here? REPORTER: Yes, there's one on the shoulders of the City Editor. He: WHAT A PITY THAT A CWEATURE WITH SUCH NATURAL ADVANTAGES SHOULDN'T HAVE A COL- LAM TO WEAR! novelette and Cl “6 “yes ES," said the telegraph lineman, “I have been a great traveler in my day. I have trav- cled from one pole to another hundreds of times and have been in all sorts of climbs.” ED: Do you really think marriage makes a man give up all his bachelor friendships? ISUMING THE MIDNIGHT OIL, Neb: Yes. If his wife is very pretty. comicbooks.com