Life, 1890-10-16 · page 1 of 18
Life — October 16, 1890 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This is the cover of *Life* magazine (October 16, 1890). The main illustration shows two men in formal dress: one standing, one seated at a desk examining what appears to be a musical score or document. The caption reads: "TIMEO DANAOS ET DONA FERENTES" (a Latin phrase meaning "I fear the Greeks bearing gifts"). The dialogue indicates one man sent the other a wedding present—specifically an "edition de luxe" of the Kreutzer Sonata (a Beethoven composition). This appears to satirize the controversy surrounding Tolstoy's novella *The Kreutzer Sonata* (1889), which dealt provocatively with marriage and sexuality. The joke suggests giving someone this particular work as a wedding gift would be tactless or insulting, given its scandalous content about marital discord.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XVI. NEW YORK, OCTOBER 16, 1890. NUMBER 407. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1890, by Mrrcert & Mize. D GY sRiCAnys SVM. sf TIMEO DANAOS ET+\DONA FERENTES. “HE CUT YOU OUT, AND YET YOU WERE MAGNANIMOUS ENOUGH TO SEND HIM A WLDDING PRESENT, EN?" “Yes; 1 Sent Wim aN edition de luxe OF THE Areutzer Sonata.” comicbooks.com