Life, 1891-05-07 · page 1 of 14
Life — May 7, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "INFERENTIAL" - Life Magazine, May 7, 1891 This cartoon depicts a romantic scene with two figures examining an engagement ring. The dialogue reveals the satire's target: the woman protests that an engagement ring with "Mizpah" engraved on it—meaning "God be with you till we meet again"—is an odd choice, as it suggests separation rather than togetherness. She sarcastically notes this is "a delicate way of saying that whenever you're around you want to have me all to yourself. Oh, you jealous creature!" The humor lies in the ironic contradiction: a Mizpah ring supposedly expresses devotion, yet its inscribed message implies the couple will be apart. The woman infers from this "sentimental" choice that her fiancé actually wants to monopolize her company—revealing his jealous nature through his supposedly romantic gift choice.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XVII. NEW YORK, MAY 7, 1891. NUMBER 436. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1891, Mrrcnere & Mitrer. ee prucamys ff sym. INFERENTIAL, He: DEAREST, THIS 1S OUR ENGAGEMENT RING, IT Has “ Afizpah” IN IT—THAT 18, ''God be with you till we meet again.” She: 1 SUPPOSE THAT'S A DELICATE WAY OF SAYING THAT WHENEVER YOU'RE AROUND YOU WANT TO HAVE ME ALL TO YOURSELF. OH, YOU JEALOUS CREATURE! comicbooks.com