Life, 1891-08-27 · page 1 of 14
Life — August 27, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page, August 27, 1891 This satirical cartoon titled "Good Authority for It" depicts a social conversation about heraldry and family coats-of-arms. A man (Mr. F. Humdieck Blayke) dismisses criticism of the "Blayke coat-of-arms" as too elaborate and ancient, claiming ignorance excuses it. Miss S. responds that the D'Aincourts family has "borne it for centuries." The satire targets American social pretension—specifically wealthy Americans fabricating or exaggerating aristocratic European heritage. The elaborate decorative border on the left suggests mock-heraldic formality. The joke hinges on the absurdity of claiming ancient nobility while admitting ignorance of one's own family history, mocking the Gilded Age tendency to purchase or invent prestigious ancestry for social advancement.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
—~ VOLUME XVIII. NEW YORK, AUGUST 27, 1891. NUMBER 452. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright 181, by Mircnmit & Miter. SNICANy s be Svm. hg Pre up and will atly 9 = be Ten Cents SX “Cops & 7 =n GOOD AUTHORITY FOR IT. Mr, F. Humsteigh Blayke: 1 DIDN'T LIKE WHAT THORLEY SAID ABOUT THE BLAYKE COAT-OF-ARMS ; rk. "5 THAT IT WAS TOO ELABORATE TO BE VERY ANCIENT. Aliss S.: Don’t mind HIM. THAT ONLY SHOWS HIS IGNORANCE, Why, THe D'AGINCOURTS HAVE DORSE IT FOR CENTURIES. comicbooks.com