Life, 1890-11-20 · page 17 of 24
Life — November 20, 1890 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical humor pieces typical of Life magazine's format: **"The Ugly Duckling" review**: Critic attacks the play starring Mrs. Leslie Carter, praising her natural talent but mocking the script quality so severely he suggests burning it rather than rewriting. This represents Life's theatrical criticism. **Visual cartoons**: - "In Time of Need" depicts a drowning scene with dark humor about a dog being released to help - "A Misapprehension Removed" shows a British nobleman (Lord Runnymede, identifiable by his affected speech) proposing to an American woman (Miss Trumbull). The joke: he assumes American girls reject him for lacking rank; she replies his *birth itself* was a "catastrophe"—insulting his very existence rather than his social status. This satirizes both British class pretension and American democratic irreverence toward nobility. **"An Early Riser"**: Brief joke about someone arrested before police magistrate hours. The page reflects Life's focus on theatrical criticism, American-British social tensions, and class-based humor popular in early 20th-century satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE: ss HE UGLY DUCKLING "in which Mrs, Leslie Carter made her début is announced as having been “Written by Mr. Paul M. Potter: Re-written by Mr. Archibald D. Gor- don.” It should be re-written again by some competent person with convenient access to a large and vigorous grate-fire. This is the only method by which its faults could be thoroughly eradicated. Mrs. Carter showed dramatic possibilities enough to entitle her to consideration as an - artist. Naturally her work was crude, A previous school- ing as a walking lady would have added materially to the ease ofher performance but all things considered it was a re- markable one, She acquitted herself fairly well and that in a part which would tax the capabilities of the most talented and experienced of actresses. She possesses considerable force, a mercurial vivacity which is at times almost annoying. and a physique which is attractive and apparently quite equal A to any demands which may be made upon it. IN TIME OF NEED. - —__— “Hey, JIMMY, TIE DE DOG LOOSE, AN' LET HIM GOIN DE WATER APTER A MAN WOT'S TUMBLED OVERROARD !" ISITOR: Rosy, who's that gentleman who just went by? Rosy: Oh, he’s not a gentleman—he's a minister. LEVERTON (42 Dashaway's room): Don't | miss something? Oh, yes; where is that picture of the “ Three Graces" you had ? AN EARLY RISER—The one who is up before the Police DasSHAWAY (sadly): You see that silk hat over there? Magistrate. ‘That's it. _ NOVEMBER now Tuk ImeO THU FRE ISAT A MISAPPREHENSION REMOVED. Lord Runnymede: AW—Miss TWUMBULL, I PAWNCY NOW, YOU WEJECT MY SUIT KE- CAUSE YOU HAVE NO WANK, THAT IS VERWY INCONSISTENT FOR AN AMERWICAN, YOU KNOW. T FAWNCIED AN AMERWICAN GIRL WOULD FAWNCY HERSELF MY EQUAL, AND TELL EVERYBODY MY DIRTH WAS A MERE ACCIDENT, YOU KNOW, Miss Trumbull: OW, XO, LORD RUNNYMEDE, I WOULDN'T DISPARAGE YOUR BIRTH IN THE LEAST. I DON'T THINK IT WAS A MERE ACCIDENT—IT WAS A REGULAR CATASTROPHE. A CLOUD ON THE HORIZON, comicbooks.com