Life, 1890-05-08 · page 11 of 18
Life — May 8, 1890 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 273 **Top Cartoon:** A domestic scene showing a woman (labeled "Nellie") refusing to buy strawberries, arguing they're not yet in season and taste poor. Her aunt ("Auntie") counters that waiting means missing them entirely, and worse—the poorest people will buy them first, making them unfashionable. This satirizes snobbish consumer anxiety about social status and timing—the upper classes' concern with appearing refined by consuming only the "right" foods at the "right" moments. **"A Bright Idea" Cartoon:** A man proudly demonstrates a patent lamp to two observers, claiming a simple lever increases its brilliance. The satire likely mocks frivolous inventions or self-deluded entrepreneurs pitching obviously worthless contraptions. **Bottom Section:** Three brief comedic snippets including a census-taker's exchanges and nautical dialogue.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nellie: BUT 1 DON'T LIKE STRAWRERRIES THIS TIME OF YEAR, AUNTIE; I'D RATHER WAIT A MONTH UNTIL THEY ARE SWEETER AND BETTER, Auntie: Yes, 1 DARE SAY YOU WOULD PREFER TO WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE HAWKED ABOUT THE STREETS. WEL HILD, 1F YOU DO NOT LIKE SOUR BERRIES NOW RETTER THAN SWEET ONES WUEN THEY ARE TO ME HAD RY THE COMMONEST SORT OF YOU ARE SADLY LACKING IN THETFIRST ELEMENTS OF EXCLUSIVENESS, THREE DAYS OUT FROM SANDY HOOK. APTAIN OF THE NAUSEA; And now, madame, we are only four miles from land. Lavy (anxious to get ashore): Where? where ? CAPTAIN OF THE NAUSEA ( pornt- ing downward): There! CENSUS TAKING IN THE FUTURE. ENSUS-TAKER in 1976, to old lady: “ Your age, please?" “ Place of birth ? A BRIGHT IDEA. “ Ohio.” Smith: Sav, GUS, HAVE YOU SEEN MY eD_W GE 1 EWE BOULB bo: Mother of presidents? NEW PATENT LAMP?) BY SIMPLY PRESSING : “One. 2 TMATE “K 7 5} ” THIS LEVER YOU INCREASE THE BRILLIANCY Kissed by Gen. Sherman ? oF THE LI Twice.” comicbooks.com