Life, 1892-08-04 · page 1 of 16
Life — August 4, 1892 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Beyond It" - Life Magazine, August 4, 1892 This cartoon satirizes a conversation between two men under a beach umbrella. One man (identified as "Mr. Drybird" in the dialogue) is being challenged about not carrying a latch-key. His interlocutor suggests that among all men in the world, he'd be the only one who couldn't use one if he had it—implying Drybird is either incompetent or sexually inexperienced/impotent. The humor relies on the double meaning of "latch-key"—both a literal key and a euphemism. The title "Beyond It" suggests Drybird has moved past such concerns, possibly through age or circumstance. The cartoon mocks masculine inadequacy through wordplay typical of 1890s satirical humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XxX. NEW YORK, AUGUST 4, 1892. NUMBER 501. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1892, by Mrrcngut & Mittra. BEYOND IT. “Do You MEAN TO SAY, MR. DRYBIRD, THAT YOU DON'T CARRY A LaTcH-KeY ? I sHoULD THINK, OF ALL MEN IN THE WORLD, YOU WOULD NEED ONE.” “IT's NO USE TO ME, I COULDS'T USE ONE IF I HAD IT.” comicbooks.com