Life, 1891-05-07 · page 13 of 14
Life — May 7, 1891 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine contains three separate satirical pieces: 1. **"Pleasures of Walking in the Country in Spring"**: A woman's distress over a bug in her clothing satirizes Victorian ladies' delicate sensibilities and their dependence on male assistance for minor problems. 2. **"Antony's Polite Reply"**: References the classical story of Antony and Cleopatra, satirizing exaggerated politeness and courtly behavior by having Antony refuse to leave his hostess—a joke about prioritizing social propriety over duty. 3. **"War Declared"**: Mocks the Boston *Transcript* editor's petty literary feuding. The exchange ridicules newspaper editors who remove publications from their lists over disagreements about book reviews (specifically Ibsen's *Hedda Gabler*), treating intellectual disputes with mock-military seriousness. 4. **Street Scene**: The detailed illustration depicts Boston's bustling commercial district in May, showing urban life with storefronts advertising "Women's Habiliments" and "Blue Stockings"—references to women's fashion and intellectual women. The page satirizes Victorian social conventions, literary pretension, and newspaper rivalry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: PLEASURES OF WALKING IN THE COUNTRY IN SPRING. E: Why that distressed look, Rosalie? Tell me, quick, are you ill ? SHE: A b-bug has gone down my back and—and—we can't get home for half an hour. G” Antony—go yonder where your hosts await you,” said Cleopatra. fo, thanks,” returned the Roman, “I'd rather stay with my hostess. ANTONY’S POLITE REPLY. “cc WAR DECLARED. DITOR OF BOSTON TRANSCRIPT: Bobbie, send ange editor here. 1TOR: Did you want me, sir? Yes. Did the New York 7rébune on Sunday say that Ibsen's “ Hedda Gabler" is a vulgar book ? 3 DITOR: Yes, sir. “ BECAUSE HE OBJECTED TO IT, I surpost the 7rbune off our list and tell Shelley “YES; FOR WHENEVER SHE WENT TO TADLE-RAPPING FARRAR HASILIMENTS |v De EVERY DesoniPTIAn. BLUE STOCKINGS STREET SCENE IN BOSTON ABOUT THE FIRST OF MAY. comicbooks.com