Life, 1892-10-13 · page 3 of 14
Life — October 13, 1892 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XX, Number 511) The main illustration satirizes racial attitudes in early 20th-century America. It depicts a settler offering a Black man a ready-made robe, with the caption suggesting the Black man couldn't wear such clothing because he lacked "white" status—a cruel joke about racial exclusion and segregation. The accompanying text story, "The Reason," describes conflicts between settlers and Black residents in Hanover County, Virginia, over loose hogs. A settler asks a Black man about controlling the animals; the Black man's response ("tain't with white folk") reflects the period's racist power dynamics—suggesting Black people had no authority in disputes with white settlers. The other content includes satirical editor-assistant banter about unrelated topics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME Xx. Arevenren “HERE'S YOUR ROBE.” “BUT, MY DEAH FELLAH, I COULDN'T YE KNOW, WEAR A READY-MADE ROBE!” THE REASON. RINK to me only with thine eyes, And I will pledge with mine ;” For I would have to pledge my watch, If you should ask for wine. DITOR: I can't find Wanamaker's ad- vertisement in the paper this morning. ASSIST It isn’t there. EDITOR: Why not? ASSISTANT: I wrote that he was a “ pro- fessing " Christian, and the types made it read “ professional.” LBRIDGE T. GERRY is about to or- ganize a society for the Prevention of Cruelty to District Telegraph Boys. IN SEARCH OF A SCALP. Big Sister: Cattep you a SASSY THING, AN’ SAID HE'D KNOCK YER HEAD OFF, DID HE? LET ME HEAR HIM SAY SO now / BOUT the razor-backed, fast-running hogs lately touched on in LiF another story comes to us from Hanover County in Virginia. It was there that one of the new settlers, used to the ponderous and slow-step- ping Berkshire and Poland porkers of Penn- sylvania, was seriously enjoining on one of the “ poor-white " natives the folly of trying to lay meat on the bones of the razor-backed hogs that wandered at will in the fenceless region. The native heard him through patiently, and then answered : “That's all you know ‘bout it, stranger. But when you's lived here as long as I is you'll know that ‘taint wuth while to have no hawg ‘round here that can’t out-run a nigger.” comicbooks.com