Life, 1891-08-20 · page 11 of 14
Life — August 20, 1891 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page contains two separate satirical pieces from Life magazine. **Top section ("NO FEES FOR HIM"):** A series of comic panels showing two fishermen in a boat with increasingly large catches. The joke plays on Dr. Prosy's preaching against marriage—the caption explains he "doesn't like" marriage because "she never marries," meaning he avoids the expenses and complications of married life. The visual gag shows the fishermen's catches growing more unwieldy, paralleling how marriage obligations accumulate. **Bottom section ("A CASE OF DIRE NECESSITY" and "A SUMMER STORY"):** A domestic comedy sketch where a "Thoughtful Husband" compliments his wife's new bonnet—not from sincerity but as a calculated strategy to gain permission to attend the races and lose thirty dollars. The "Summer Story" cast list suggests this is a theatrical piece about romance and relationships. Both pieces satirize marriage dynamics and male domestic scheming common to early-20th-century humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: NO FEES FOR HIM. “T UNDERSTAND THAT DR, Prosy HAs PREACHED AGAINST THLE SuM- & MER GIRL.” aie, “YES; IE DOESN'T LIKE HER BECAUSE SHE NEVER MARRIES.” A CASE OF DIRE NECESSITY. Ms KINGLEY: I see your church is going to send away your minister for three month Isn't that a long time ? Mrs. BiInco: Yes. But we need the rest. OVING WIFE: You have no idea how well Mrs. Spenditall looks. in her new bonnet, dear ? THOUGHTFUL HUSBAND: She does not look half as well in it as you do in your old one. By this simple but neat remark the “Thoughtful Husband” was enabled to go to the races and lose thirty dollars with the comfortable belief that he had quit even. A SUMMER STORY. June. Mr. Smith. Miss Brown. July. ‘Tom. Edith, August. Sweetheart. Love. December. Mr. Smith. Miss Brown. comicbooks.com