Life, 1890-11-27 · page 3 of 20
Life — November 27, 1890 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XVI, Number 413) This page contains satirical dialogue and comic sketches typical of early 20th-century humor magazine content. **"Offensive Virtue"** presents a domestic comedy sketch where a boy explains he hit his sister because she was "so darn'd good, Mamma, I couldn't help it"—satirizing excessive moral virtue as annoying. **"The Last Dance"** depicts romantic banter between a man and woman, with witty wordplay about proposals and love, typical of the era's sophisticated society humor. **"Art Versus Nature"** shows two contrasting scenes: enthusiasts praising a celebrated artist's work as "beautiful" and "exquisite," versus a street scene labeled with cruder commentary. This likely satirizes pretentious art criticism by comparing refined aesthetic judgment to crude reality. The sketches mock social conventions, courtship rituals, and artistic pretension common to the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NUMBER 413. OFFENSIVE VIRTUE. “Way, Tommy; WHY DID YoU SLAP SISTER ETHEL?" “SHE WAS SO DARNED Goon, Mamma, I COULDN'T HELP IT.” THE LAST DANCE. ln Incident in a Window Seat. He: Well, how many conquests? I fancy a score By the flush on your cheeks and your shoulders. A bore! O, nonsense ; a debutante just out of school Who can rule with a smile what a king could not rule, From young Harry, her prince, to myself, her poor fool! Come, tell me, did Harry propose? What a goose You would think me to tell you, and then of what use Could it be? : Well, it might give me hope where before There was none—quite a boon from the lips you adore When you're hungry for love, (coguetting): Or who knows but it might— Yes, it might blot from life every semblance of light As the clouds blot the moon on a storm-troubled night. But tell me. She: He did. And your answer was? She: No. You mean it, or are you coquetting yet ? She: He: Oh! I just told him I cared for another—he smiled. It was merely to him so much pleasure beguiled Froma girl. Charge it up profit ?—loss ?—tell me which ? He will think I am pretty, they say, but not rich, He would love me, perhaps, for a season or two, So I told him that I loved another. He: And who? She (archly) ; Really, must I tell you? He: No—your finger—yes, this. A solitaire—done! and now quickly— She (feigning reluctance): He (ecstatically) : One! Kiss, Tom Hall. Enthusiasts (before picture by celebrated artist): BeautiFutt Exquisite! Smalt Boy: CORNER, HEY, DERE’S A MAN HAVIN' A FIT 'ROUND DE comicbooks.com