Life, 1891-06-25 · page 1 of 15
Life — June 25, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Old Man's Darling" This page from Life magazine (June 25, 1891) contains a satirical cartoon about domestic relations. The illustration shows a conversation between a man and woman, with dialogue below revealing the joke's premise: A woman (Mrs. Weston) has taught her baby to call an older man "Grandpa" rather than "Father," implying the man is too elderly to be the actual father. The satire hinges on this social awkwardness—the man asks why she would do this, and she responds that she wants to ensure Weston "shan't forget that he is old enough to be her father." The humor targets age-gap relationships and questions of paternity/legitimacy that were considered risqué subjects for the era's satirical press.
📄 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, JUNE 235, 1891. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1851, Mirenece & Mutter. THE OLD MAN'S DARLING. Shes WOULD YoU RELIEVE IT?2—THAT VICIOUS LITTLE Mrs, WESTON HAS TAUGHT HER BABY TO CALL IT's FATHER “GRANDPA,” Hes’ Wat DID SHE DO THAT FOR ? She: So THAT WESTON SHAN'T FORGET THAT HE IS OLD ENOUGH TO BE HER FATHER, comicbooks.com