Life, 1890-10-16 · page 14 of 18
Life — October 16, 1890 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page consists primarily of **humorous short jokes and advertisements**, not political satire. The humor reflects late-Victorian social attitudes about gender and propriety. Key jokes: - A woman abandons her tennis cap (intellectual appearance) when an attractive man arrives—satirizing women's superficiality - A girl assists her father by "entertaining bores"—dark humor about women's expected social role - Two jokes mock wives' domestic incompetence (not knowing what canned food is; the husband's lost collar button causing the wife to curse) - A joke about parrots from "Jerusalem" references Jewish stereotypes via the character name "Jacob" The page reveals period attitudes: women are depicted as frivolous, profane when frustrated, intellectually pretentious, and domestically inept. The humor punches down at women and ethnic minorities. The remaining content is **commercial advertising** for mackintoshes, hats, furniture, and banking services—typical of magazine revenue models then.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
> LIFE: A BITTER TRUTH, GHETLL set aside the tennis cap ‘To comfort her poor mother ; Hut let appear some handsome chap, How quick she'll set the other. —Boston Transcript. Mrs, Staccers: We are to have dear mother for dinner, James! Mr. Sraccens: All right; see that she is thoroughly cooked,— Pick-Me-Up. “My dear," said the caller, with awinning smile, to the little girl who occupied the study while her father, the eminent literary man, was at his dinner, “1 suppose you assist your papa by entertaining the bores?" "Yes, sir,” replied the little girl gravely ; “please be seated."— Chicago Tribune. SHE (romantic): Did it ever occur to you what wonderful sights the men who dive in the ocean must behold ? He: Yes, once. It was when | was at sea in a storm and everybody was sick |—Pick-Me-Up. ** WHat was it the aeronant said when he fell out of his ballon and struck the earth with his usual dull thud 2" **He remarked that it was a hard world."—New York Sun. Isaac: Where do parrots come from, I wonder ? Jacou (regarding the bird's beak}: Jerusalem, I guess.— Texas Siftings. Miss Backuay: No; we do not speak any more. nize a girl who indulges in profanity. Mr. Potts: You don't mean to say she— Miss Backpay ; Oh, yes I We were talking of Browning, and she said: ‘Oh, bother Browning !" Mk. Ports: But ‘ bother’ is not profanity. Miss Backnay: Maybe not, but ‘bother Browning’ is.—Terre Haute Express. I cannot recog Mas. Jinks: Oh, Thomas, Thomas, what shall we do with our daughter? I heard her talking to herself in her room, just now, while she was dressing, and she said d-damn, twice ? Mx. Jinks: Let's see. She has begun wearing boiled shirts, like a man’s, lately, hasn't she ? “Yes, but what has—" ‘Everything! She probably lost her collar button down the back of her neck."—Lawrence American. Husnanp : Is this canned chicken or canned lobster, Ethel ? Wire: I don't know, John. The label had been torn off the can before | opened it.—Somerville Journal. @ HODGMAN'S MACKINTOSHES \ Ladies 3S Gentlemen banaue f Samples, prices.and full Information furnished ON application to GMaN ER. yy rs ' CaN Wor Ror MANUFACTURERS, Broadway, cor. Grand Streetiand 2iwest-23rd St, ads'Sth Ave Hotel, New York: Letters of Credit. LATEST NOVELTIES IN Capes, Jackets CELEBRATED HATS, —ann— Ladies’ Round Hate and Bonnets and The Dunlap Silk Umbrella. 178 & 180 Fifth Avenue, bet, a2d and 23d Sta., and 181 Broadway, near Cortlandt St. NEW YORK. Palmer House, Chicago. 914 Chestnut St., Phila. B-Agencies jn all Principal Cities. Gold Medal Awarded, Paris Exposition, 188. ‘We buy and sell bills of Exchange on and make cable transfers of money to Eur West | Collections and issue Com- mercial Credit: parts o} Brown Bros. £Co., Bankers,59 Wall St. ~ |TABLE FURNITURE, JOHN MASON, 246 FIFTH AVE., FORMERLY WITH TIFFANY & CO., Having completed his stock of Table Furniture for the coming season, is prepared to show the new- est examples of the silver- smiths’ and glass-cutters’ art, in both ordinary and unique shapes, the designs of many being entirely original and produced under his personal super- Australia, and the Indies; also make and — Travelers’ available in all the world. and Garments. EXCLUSIVE STYLES. A. JAECKEL, FURRIER, 11 East 19th Street, NEW YORK. No. SS=—, Received the Grand Gold Med- al at the Paris Expo- sition, 1889. all pains such 23 25 cents at Droggista, THIS PAPER IS PRINTED WITH PECIAL’ LIFE: INK MANUPACTURED BY THE W. D. WILSON PRINTING INK CO., 11. 140 WILLIAM ST. N.Y. Send for Special Prices and Miscounts vision. JOHN MASON, 246 FIFTH AVE. NEW YORK. DR.GROSVENOR'S Belleap:sic PLASTERS. HE BEST POROUS PLASTERS IN THE WORLD, Will instantly relieve RHEUMATISM, KIDNEY PAINS, LAME BACK, &c. GROSVENOR & RICHARDS, Boston, Mass. comicbooks.com