Life, 1891-12-10 · page 1 of 14
Life — December 10, 1891 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "No Further Incentive" - Life Magazine, December 10, 1891 This cartoon satirizes a conversation between an opulent father-in-law and his son-in-law George. The father-in-law asks what troubles George, noting he's lost his ambition since marrying. George replies he's already achieved his ambitions by becoming the son-in-law—implying he married for wealth and social status rather than love or genuine aspiration. The wealthy interior setting and the father-in-law's ornate dress emphasize the family's affluence. The satire targets late-19th-century social climbing and mercenary marriages among the upper classes, mocking George for viewing marriage as a finishing line rather than a beginning, and suggesting he now lacks motivation for further achievement. It's commentary on shallow materialism in Gilded Age society.
📄 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, DECEMBER 10, 1891. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter Copyright, 1891, by Mircumut & Mitter, NO FURTHER INCENTIVE, Opulent Father-in-law: \WUAT AILS YOU, GEORGE ? SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN MARRIED YOU SEEM TO HAVE. LOST ALL YOUR AMUITI George: WELL, YOU SEE, SIR, LREACHED THE HEIGHT OF MY AMBITION WHEN T BECAME YOUR SON-IN-LAW. comicbooks.com