Life, 1890-02-27 · page 11 of 18
Life — February 27, 1890 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 125 (A.D. 1900) This page contains theatrical advertising and satirical humor typical of turn-of-the-century Life magazine. **Top section:** An advertisement for the Diamond Theatre's burlesque production "Tony and Patty; or, Fatal Aspirations," emphasizing novelty entertainment with "new songs, new dances, new dresses, new faces." **Middle cartoon ("The Shark and the Diver"):** A shark uses aggressive sales tactics to entice an unsophisticated diver into viewing his "interior," promising corner lots and hospitality. The satire mocks predatory business practices and real estate schemes common in 1900. **Bottom cartoon ("The Rapid-Transit Problem"):** References contemporary urban transit challenges, likely New York City's developing subway system. The page overall satirizes contemporary consumer culture, entertainment excess, and emerging urban problems of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WHAT WE ARE COMING TO. (Advertisement in daily paper, A.D. 1900.) DIAMOND THEATRE. The Famous London Insanity Com- pany in the new burlesque, TONY AND PATTY; oR, FATAL ASPIRATIONS. NEW SONGS, NEW DANCES, NEW DRESSES, NEW FACES, NEW EVERYTHING. N. B.—Special attention is called to the fact that theatre parties are not admitted to Mfrs, S.: HAVE WE EVERYTHING OUT OF THE HOUSE Now? this theatre under any circumstances. Mr, S.: EVERYTHING BUT THE CHILDREN. YOU KNOW THE LANDLORD WON'T ALLOW THEM IN THE NEW HOUSE, LOVE IS BLIND. ER praises loud he used to sing; Now he is jilted, He wonders how he loved a thing Whose nose is tilted. THE SHARK AND THE DIVER. A BUSINESS-LIKE and very hungry shark met an unsophisticated diver in search of investments. “Good morning,” said the shark, affably; “wont you step inside? I have a remarkably fine interior that I want to show you, also some corner lots you'll like—at least, 1 corner lots like you. Besides, this is my usual dinner hour and you are just in time, and I can assure you you are exceedingly welcome. Oh, don’t hang back; I have ample room to accommodate you, and I can’t take no for an answer. I have taken in any number of strangers for dinner, and not one of them ever complained afterward of the treatment he received, and I am sure you won't, either. So don’t keep me waiting any longer.” “Well,” responded the diver, “since you are so urgent and your family are notoriously such good entertainers that nobody, once their guest, ever goes anywhere else, I will not refuse your courteous offer.” And, in justice to the shark, it is only fair to state that the diver was never known to make the slightest complaint. HE RAPID-TRANSIT PROBLEM— BANOS Wonder if I'll have to hang on to a strap! comicbooks.com