Life, 1892-03-24 · page 3 of 16
Life — March 24, 1892 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page Analysis This page from *Life* magazine (Volume XIX, Number 282) features a satirical cartoon and dialogue pieces mocking upper-class social pretense. The main cartoon shows wealthy society figures in a drawing room, with one man asking another if a woman named Penelope will be "able to land the Baron"—implying marriage for wealth or status. The response "It depends upon how much land it will take" satirizes the transactional nature of aristocratic marriages among the wealthy. Below, two brief comedic dialogues mock romantic relationships: one depicts a wife suspicious her husband's business trip is actually an affair, and another shows a young woman questioning her suitor's love—he claims to ride "twenty blocks three nights a week" through Fifth Avenue (then the wealthy district) for money, not romance. The humor targets materialism and cynicism in upper-class courtship.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XIX. e L | fF E . NUMBER 282. She: Do YOU THINK PENELOPE WILL BE ABLE TO LAND THE Baron? He; Iv DEPENDS UPON HOW MUCH LAND IT WILL TAKE, TOO LATE TO RECALL. RS. GRAMERCY: As you wished to see him on busi- ness, I’m very sorry my husband's out of town and not likely to return for a few months. Mrs. MALAPROP: It’s provoking, of course, but | suppose | shouldn’t allow myself to feel disappointed. You would be surprised to know how many persons are away from home just now, taking the gold cure. WEET GIRL: Yes, you say you love me, but what proof have 1? How can [ know that it is not papa’s money that attracts you ? ADORING YOUTH: Proof? Do you suppose I'd ride twenty blocks three nights a weck in those Fifth Avenue stages for mere money ? A TELL-TALE—The Gessler story. comicbooks.com