Life, 1892-01-21 · page 1 of 18
Life — January 21, 1892 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from Life magazine (January 21, 1892) features a satirical cartoon titled "One in a Thousand." The image shows two well-dressed men in top hats observing a theatrical scene through curtains. The caption quotes suggest the cartoon satirizes gender and social expectations: "Miss Smitherson is the girl for me," "Why? She's homely enough!" and "Maybe. But she wears a small bonnet to the theatre and a large Gainsborough to church. That shows she is thoughtful." The joke mocks the superficiality of courtship rituals and social pretense among the upper classes. A woman's choice of fashionable bonnets and hats—seemingly small details—becomes the measure of her suitability as a wife. The satire suggests men value women's adherence to social conventions and fashion over genuine personal qualities, making such "thoughtful" women rare ("one in a thousand").
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XIX. NEW YORK, JANUARY 21, 1892. NUMBER 473. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1891, by Mrrewent & Mitiae, ean is from are: of wake ocked SAICANY ¢ ge Svs. clean, rt of L most ith no to be world fruggists; 0 size. NTED INK TING MST. | Yiscounts at mat ONE IN A THOUSAND, “MISS SMITHERSON IS THE GIRL FOR ME.” Why?) Sur's HomELY PNeuGHE “Maver, RUT SHE WEARS A SMALL HONNET TO TIE THEATRE AND A LARGE GAINSHOROUGIL TO CHURCH, THAT shows sue ts THOUGHTFUL.” comicbooks.com