Life, 1890-02-06 · page 13 of 18
Life — February 6, 1890 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 83: Satirical Jokes and Period Advertisements This page from *Life* magazine contains several brief humorous anecdotes typical of late-19th-century American satire: **The opening poem** ("The Fish in the Sea") jokes that fish in the sea are useless if we can't catch them—a commentary on impractical idealism. **Three short jokes** follow: one mocking a suitor's presumption about marrying into a family, another playing on a doctor's weight sitting on a small dog (suggesting the doctor is obese), and a third about a father warming slippers on his son's body due to poor heating. **An actor's anecdote** discusses staging "The Corsican Brothers" and debates whether a double should speak the line "Look, mother!" or "Mother—look!"—satirizing theatrical pretension and the actor's overblown self-importance. **The advertisements** promote period products: waterproof mackintosh coats, fruit jam, printing ink, and the forthcoming February issue of *Century* magazine. The humor relies on class observation, physical comedy, and theatrical mockery characteristic of 1880s-90s American magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE: ORS AT NvLL 9 Vv V THE FISH IN THE SEA. THERE are fish in the sea good as ever were caught; But I don't see the comfort by that saying taught, For we've really no cause to be thankful about The fish in the sea—if we can’t get them out. —Detroit Critic. BeNnsey: Mr, Sloat, will you give your daughter to me in mar- riage? Mr. SLoat: Well, well! ter as yet. BENNEY (astonished): Wh—what do you mean, sir? MR. StoaT: If you had been thoroughly acquainted with her you would have said: ‘* Will you give me to your daughter in mar- riage ?"—Kearney Enterprise. Youne Lapy (evidently much distressed and embarrassed) : Doc- tor Fatte, I just Anow I shall never die a sudden death. Doctor FaTTEe: Indeed! my dear your g lady! and what induces you to think thus? Youno Lapy : Because you are now, and have been for the last five minutes, sitting upon poor, dear, little Fido, and I still live !— Cincinnati Chic, I see that you don't know my daugh- 83 In the “Corsican Brothers" I have to have a double who represents my twin brother and is made up to resemble me as closely as possible. Before my production of the play the double was never allowed to say anything, as it was supposed that the difference in the voices would destroy the illusion, It seemed to me, however, that if the double could be permitted to speak in a voice imitating my own it would heighten rather than lessen the effectiveness of the representation. With this in view, I assigned to my double the line * Look, mother !"" at the point where my ghost is supposed to appear ta her and Lowts, The young man who played the part of my twin brother did this very weil, but with an exaggerated idea of the magnitude of his im- portance. a change in the line would increase the effect. After we had done this some time, it occurred to me that T told him I was about to make a change in his line. ** What is it?" he asked. *T think it would be better instead of saying ‘ Look, mother!" to. say ‘Mother—look!'" “Great heavens !” he replied, with real agony in his voice, ‘ more study; more work."—X. B. Mantel, in Philadelphia Jester. Mrs. Newricn (sack from honeymooning in Switzerland): Do you remember that lovely gorge up in the mountains, Arthur? Mr. Newricu: Ido, It was the squarest meal I ever ate.—Z£x. Mrs, BLoopcoop : What ! not an open fireplace nor a stove in the house?” How does your father warm his slippers, Willie? WILLIE (ruefully): Warms ‘em on me, ma‘am.— Burlington Free Press, HODGMAN'S © MACKINTOSHES (Or Double-Texture Waterproof Garments) vor Ladies ana Gentlemen Tononnnnnones Midwinter (February) CENTURY A number of unusual interest, ARe “ Unequaled for softness of fabric and for wearing qualities.” Being far superior to any similar imported goods. Prices and samples furnished on application to HODGMAN RUBBER COMPANY, MANUFACTURERS, Broadway, cor. Grand Street, NEW YORK. Crosse & Blackwell's FRESH FRUIT JAM Made from English Fresh Fruits AND REFINED SUCAR ARE SOLD BY ALL GROCERS IN THE UNITED STATES, OUR CENTENNIAL EXHIBIT. convmerraD. CELEBRATED HATS, —aND— Ladies’ Round Hats and Bonnets And The Dunlap Silk Umbrella. 178 & 180 Fifth Avenue, bet. 224 & 234 Sts. and 18: Broadway, Cortlandt St. NEW YORK. Palmer House, Chicago, 914 Chestaut St., Phila, S@ Agencies in all Principal Cities. Gold Medal Awarded, Paris Exposition, 1889. ly alone, weren't until you came I was alone with my thoug Ss. Amy: That's what I said. You were en- tirely alone.—W. ¥, Sun, == Decoration Furnitures Currai (33 FIFTH AVE. NEW YORK ARE YOU IN Ct tt ht tt tt hte he tn De tn he hy th Sn hy hy tp ty hn NEED OF FINE containing 160 pages of enter- taining reading and nearly so illustrations. The contents include papers on African Exploration, Civil Service Reform, The Pursuit’and Capture of Jefferson, Davis, Recollections of Edwin Foreest in Joseph Jefferson's Autobiography, the end of the Lin- coln History, “ Emerson's Talks with a College A Corner of Old Hoy, Paris,” serials, short. stories, poems, ete, “Letters from Japan,” written and illustrated by John La Farge, the noted American artist, begins in this number. Sold everywhere, price 35 cents. A year's subscription $4.00. Pub- lished by THE CENTURY CO. N. Y. VVVVAATVARARADOVOOAY STATIONERY ? TOEVTTVVEVSSSSSSSSSSSSSssesesesessesd Ask your dealer for the papers manufactured by the Whit- ing Paper Company, of Holyoke. You will find them cor- rect for all the uses of polite society. Their “Standard” is made in rough and smooth finish, cream and azure—a_beauti- ful paper for high-class correspondence. Their No. 1 quality is unequaled for purity of stock and easy writing qualities, All dealers can supply you with Whiting’s Standard papers. New York Offices, 150 and 152 Duane St. GEO. MATHER’S SONS RINTING INK 60 JOHN STREET, N. Y, THIS PAPER IS PRINTED WITH OUR SPECIAL - LIFE - INK. comicbooks.com