Life, 1891-01-15 · page 3 of 18
Life — January 15, 1891 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XVII, Number 420) **Top Cartoon:** "As Delicately Put as Possible" shows two men observing a mounted moose head. The dialogue reveals one man shot a moose from a mile away but claimed precision—hitting his exact target. The joke satirizes the difference between reality and boastful claims: the shooter was far enough away that accuracy was essentially luck, yet he presents it as skilled marksmanship. The exaggerated moose emphasizes the absurdity. **Bottom Section:** "Business" depicts a door-to-door salesman (Slick) pitching a "double-back-action door spring" to a homeowner (Blossom). The satire mocks aggressive sales tactics and patent medicines/gadgets marketed with dubious claims about durability and innovation. Both segments reflect early 20th-century American consumer culture skepticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CER Y. to our scuting TION eSt POs: 1 upon. SONS, ERS, w York. tAIR. FS Sullivarf AS DELICATELY PUT AS POSSIBLE. Bristow: FUNNY THING ABOUT THAT MOOSE, HE WAS AT LEAST A MILE AWAY WHEN I PLUNKED MIM, AND I HIT HIM WITHIN: AN INCH OF THE SPOT I AIMED FoR, Gordon: Was HE STANDING OR LYING ? Bristow: STANDING. Gordon: THERE'S THE TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND THE MOOSE, CHARLIE, BUSINESS. SLICK (¢0 Blossom): Is this Mr. Bloomer's office ? BLOssoM: No. His office is across the hall. SLICK (leaving the door open as he walks out): Thank you, sir. BLossoM: Hey! Come back and close that door! Haven't you any doors in your house ? Stick: Yes, sir; but they all have springs on ‘em. Allow me to show you, sir, my patent, double-back-action door spring. It closes the door without a bang, and is warranted to last a lifetime. “SHE HELD HER LIFE IN HER RE had Seven Hills but none of them were schem- HANDs.” ing to be president. “GETTING THE DROP ON Him.” comicbooks.com