Life, 1891-03-26 · page 3 of 22
Life — March 26, 1891 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XVII, Number 430) This page contains three satirical pieces: 1. **Top banner illustration**: "When Leaves Days Are Fast" — a pastoral Easter scene with religious overtones, accompanied by text about devotion and spiritual renewal during the holiday season. 2. **"A Question of Value"**: A dialogue between M'Daub and O'Brushi about the Dilettanti Club's policy allowing artists to pay membership fees with artwork rather than cash. O'Brushi jokes that the club simply lacks wall space for more paintings—satirizing both pretentious art clubs and struggling artists. 3. **"The Superiority of Man"**: A comic dialogue between Jack and Laura about self-sufficiency. Jack boasts of making his own cigarettes since January; Laura sarcastically suggests he could save money by making his own hats and gowns—mocking masculine claims of independence. The page uses humor to critique social pretension and gender dynamics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
obcvxi nual AWTHIEN, A QUESTION OF VALUE. "DAUB has heard that the Dilletanti Club allows pictorial artists to pay the initiation fee of one hundred dollars with works of their art of that value, instead of cash. He suggests to O'Brush (a member of the Dilletanti) that he would like to be put up for admission on the foregoing con- dition. O'BRUSH : The Council would doubtless be glad to receive you, but there’s a dif- ficulty in the way. O'Daus: A difficulty! What is it ? O'BRUSH: They haven't room on the walls of the club-house for one hundred of your pictures. The Experienced Rat; WELL, YOU ARE THE FUNNIEST LOOKING CAT I EVER saw! NUBEN DEAS CARE “COME. fair devotees—lift your bowed heads. The world which has stood still for you these forty days has been going around for other people just as usual. Your devotions and abstinences may have given you new strength, but you will also find that absence from tempta- tion has made the heart grow fonder of it. Your eyes, grown accustomed to sack-cloth, will be all the more delighted with the gay colors of Easter apparel.” THE SUPERIORITY OF MAN. Jack: 1 DON'T SEE WHY YOU GIRLS SHOULDN'T HUSTLE AROUND LIKE THE REST OF US AND DO THINGS FOR YOURSELVES! YOU COULD SAVE LOTS OF MONEY BY MAKING YOUR OWN HATS AND GOWNS, Laura: I'D JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHAT YOU DO FOR YOURSELF ? Jack: 12 WHY, VE BEEN MAKING MY OWN CIGARETTES EVER SINCE THE First oF January! comicbooks.com