Life, 1891-06-18 · page 1 of 16
Life — June 18, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Rus in Urbe" - Life Magazine, June 18, 1891 This cartoon illustrates a social comedy sketch titled "Rus in Urbe" (Latin: "country in the city"). The dialogue reveals the joke: a woman from the country thanks a city man for his company, noting his "country air," while he attributes it to her presence creating "a perfect picnic." The humor derives from a clash of manners—the rural visitor genuinely compliments what she perceives as his rustic, wholesome quality, while the urbane gentleman interprets her compliment as flirtation, responding gallantly but somewhat disingenuously. The satirical point targets both rural naïveté and city sophistication, poking fun at how each group misreads the other's social cues and intentions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NEW YORK, JUNE 18, 1891. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1891, Mircwmut & Mitume. NUMBER 442. naw Nus i sym. wo im —- g 4 RUS IN URBE. Ste: YOUR SOCIETY REFRESHES ME GREATLY. He: Titaxk you, THen vou won't MIND IF I STAY ANOTHER HOUR? She: O DEAR, NO! YOU HAVE SUCII A COUNTRY AIR ABOUT YOU IT'S A PERFECT PICNIC 10 BE IN YOUR PRESENCE, comicbooks.com