Life — October 13, 1892 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "Ordinary Prudence" - Life Magazine, October 13, 1892 This cartoon satirizes a romantic triangle involving dueling—a practice still culturally relevant in 1892. The caption shows one character asking another whether they'll resolve their love dispute with pistols or letters, with the witty response that "pistols—letters are too dangerous." The joke inverts expected danger: letters (written correspondence, possibly love letters or written challenges) are humorously portrayed as MORE perilous than actual gunfire. This likely mocks the era's anxiety about written evidence in scandals or affairs—letters could expose affairs or impropriety to the public, causing social ruin. The title "Ordinary Prudence" suggests this cowardly avoidance of both fighting and written documentation as a practical, if unheroic, approach to domestic conflicts among the wealthy.