Life, 1891-10-15 · page 12 of 16
Life — October 15, 1891 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Satire Page Analysis This page from *Life* magazine contains three separate satirical pieces: 1. **"Our Winter Friend"** and **"To a Poker Chip"**: Humorous poetry mocking a plumber's seasonal profiteering and a gambler's regret at losing money—the poker chip is personified as a worthless remainder after gambling losses. 2. **Upper illustration**: A domestic scene where a man (apparently slow-witted or unmusical) asks a woman if she thinks he's "slow and a little too soft." She replies that while he may lack talent, his wealth compensates—satirizing how money excuses social inadequacy among the upper classes. 3. **"We Press the Button, Etc."**: A three-panel comic showing an editor's solution for handling unwanted book agents: a mechanical device that removes them from the office. The agent boasts he's a "book agent" and won't be fired; the final panel shows him gone. This satirizes both aggressive sales tactics and editors' frustration with solicitation. The overall tone mocks class pretension, financial anxiety, and workplace annoyances common to turn-of-the-century urban American life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
* LIFE: OUR WINTER FRIEND. N OW doth the busy plumber Improve cach — shining minute ; For, with the end of Summer, He knows that he is in it. TO A POKER CHIP. MISERABLE, cold, in- animate thing! Why do I find thee in my hour of need herein my pocket, void of neces- sary coin ? Why dost thou taunt me when I've got to walk from Forty-sec- ond street unto the place called Park, to borrow money from my relative ? Once thou wert proud, thy value fifty cents. Alas! thy fellows have been all cashed in and carrying thee away, I gave thy value up for the infinitesimal worth of a piece of colored celluloid. Cosas tid i He (referring to the music): DON'T YOU THINK I'M SLOW AND 1 do think, had I but known that thou wert in my pocket, | 4 LITTLE Too sort? would now be a very king among my fellot She (absently): V BUT THEN YOU HAVE WEALTH AND Post- The player on my left gat golden coin in gencrous meed "1%: *NP_ THAT COUNTS FOR SoneTH the next succeeding hand aft | was burst. ee What luck ! Get thee into the street, to be trod upon of men and horses Why didst thou not speak ? —yea, to be crushed by the grinding wheels of chariots. O miserable me ! Thou art N. G. WE PRESS THE BUTTON, ETC. Showing the modus operandi of an invaluable appliance for non-fighting editors “DEY TOLD ME OUTSIDE DAT BOOK AGENTS WHAT CAME IN HERE GETS FIRED “WELL, WE ARE A TRIFLE nUsY TO-DAY, out. Now, UM a ook AGENT. She? UT T THINK WE CAN ACCOMMODATE You.” “ Goop Mornixc.” AN’ IF DERE'S ANY FIREN' OUT GOIN’ ON, 1 WANT TER BR RIGIET IN TT, SER? comicbooks.com