Life, 1891-12-10 · page 8 of 14
Life — December 10, 1891 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Life's Fairy Tales: The Belle and the Seal" This page presents a satirical fairy tale about a shipwreck in the Atlantic Ocean. A "Society Belle" is the sole survivor, rescued by a seal who offers her his seat on an ice floe. When she hesitates to accept due to cold, the seal removes his coat—revealing he's actually a gentleman in disguise. The satire appears to mock upper-class women's vanity and impracticality. The "Society Belle" prioritizes propriety and appearances even in a life-or-death situation, embodying period stereotypes of privileged women as frivolous and helpless. Below are two unrelated cartoon vignettes: one about Dakota statehood, another about fashion ("Fastidious"), using typical early-1900s sketch comedy style.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE’S FAIRY TALES. THE BELLE AND THE SEAL. NCE upon a time a beautiful steamer was crossing the Auantic Ocean at such terrifying speed that one of the passengers said, in alarm, to the captain: “Isn't it dangerous to go so fast?” “Not for us,” said the captain with a knowing wink, as the bow of the steamer crashed through a fishing smack. And he looked merrily aloft that he inight not see the fishermen as they struggled about in the sea, crying aloud for help. Every life saved meant so many minutes lost, and the captain was a wise man and knew his business. But that night the beautiful steamer shot with a resounding crash into a still more beautiful iceberg, and sank with graceful undulations to the deep down bottom of the sea. Of all the passengers only one was saved, and that was a Society Belle who was thrown half ¢ upon the glittering ice. She was not hurt, but she found it very chilly, as her only clothing consisted of a single garment, white and cool, but with no particular fit. To keep herself from freez- ing she started off at a swift run along the top of the iceberg. She had not gone far when she observed in the bright moon- light a large seal, sitting comfortably upon a block of ice, humming a love song to himself. When the seal espied her he arose and. bowing gracefully, said, “Good evening, madam; please take my seat.” “ Thank you,” she said; * but if 1 do, I shall freeze, as 1 have nothing on but "—here she blushed and added to herself, How silly to be embarrassed. He is only a seal.” “But the seal was already fumbling at his throat and began to unbutton his magnificent DITIONAL WARMTH WAS overcoat. She regarded him in amazement and exclaimed : wetcour.” SOF ALL THE PAssENCEKS ONLY ONE WAS SAVED." IN DAKOTA. “MY FRIEND, PO YOU EVER THINK AnOUT YOUR FUTURE state?” FASTIDIOUS. “FUTURE State! GREAT SUFFERN INJUN! WE BEEN A STATE ‘ arrival (on the “ Island"): Ou, 1 sav! Hortzontau PER THER LAST FOUR YEARS, AND DON'T YER FERGITIT! Seet! STRIPES WITH MY FIGURE! comicbooks.com