Life, 1890-03-20 · page 3 of 18
Life — March 20, 1890 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XV, Number 377) This page contains several brief satirical items typical of Life's humor format: **Main image**: "A Regard for Appearances" depicts a conversation between a man and woman about divorce laws. The joke suggests that while Western divorce laws are loose, there's an unspoken social expectation that couples maintain appearances until their honeymoon ends—implying newlyweds shouldn't divorce too quickly, regardless of legal permission. **Minor items** include: - "Baby McKee" joke: A grandfather explains his small stature by referencing his late growth - "A Chestnut Steed": A brief quip about a white horse - "Self-Feeder" and "Polite Pedestrian": Short humorous anecdotes about everyday situations The overall tone reflects early-20th-century American middle-class social anxieties about propriety, divorce, and public conduct.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NUMBER 377. A REGARD FOR APPEARANCES. She; THE DIVORCE LAWS IN THE WEST ARE VERY LOOSE, ARE THEY NOT? He from Chicago): VERY. She: ARE THERE ANY RESTRICTIONS WHATEVER? He; No—THOUGH IT 1S NOT CONSIDERED GOOD FORM TO BE DIVORCED UNTIL ONE'S HONEYMOON IS OVER. r HAIRMAN OF COMMITTE) We WHAT COULD BABY HAVE MEANT? ABY MCKEE: Grandpa, why are you such a small man? GRANDPA HARRISON: Well, you see, when I was about fifteen years old I stopped growing — Baby MCKEE: Oh, I don’t mean small that way! CHESTNUT STEED— The White Horse, ( A SELF-FEEDER. want a watch worth $100 to offer as a prize in an amateur athletic contest. JEWELER: One that will cost about $3c, 1 suppose. OLITE PEDESTRIAN (who has un- wittingly served as a stumbling-block to a gentleman grievously afflicted with in- foxication): Beg pardon, sir, Didnt know you were loaded, sir. comicbooks.com