Life, 1892-12-22 · page 3 of 16
Life — December 22, 1892 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XX, Number 521) This page contains three separate humorous pieces typical of early 20th-century satirical magazines: **Main cartoon** (left): Shows well-dressed gentlemen in formal attire discussing fashion. The dialogue mocks men who wear overcoats unnecessarily, suggesting they do so for "avuncular attraction" or "sartorial frigidity"—implying vanity disguised as practicality. The satire targets fashionable pretension among upper-class men. **"Very Green"** and **"A Dream of Wealth"**: Brief comic dialogues poking fun at naiveté and working-class aspiration. **"His Ideal"**: A romantic exchange about holding fast to ideals. **"A Pat Saying"**: A small cartoon with unclear subject matter. The page exemplifies Life's focus on class-based humor and social commentary through visual satire and witty dialogue.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME Xx. ° iB | F k ° NUMBER 521. FIT FOR A KING, VERY GREEN. HE: Did your grandtather live to a green old age ? HE: Well, I should say so! He was buncoed three times after he was seventy. A DREAM OF WEALTH. **T'D like to be rich” said Tommy. * How rich?" asked his sister. “Oh,” replied the young man, after some thought, “rich enough to wear my Sunday clothes every day.” HIS IDEAL. 6 D° you hold fast to your ideals ?" she asked. “TL would if | had a chance,” he answered, softly. “You are 7 She: WHY DO MEX CO WITHOUT OVERCOATS WHEN THEY NEED THEM, AND CATCIL ENEUMONIA ? He: SOMETIMES AVUNCULAR ATTRACTION, SOMETIMES SARTORIAL FRIGIDITY, AND SCMETIMES BECAUSE THEY THINK IT IS THE THING, She: LAR ATTRACTION ? He: GIWING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. She: AND WHAT'S SARTORIAL FRIGIDITY ? He: Tit RESULT OF GIVE OTHING FOR SOMETHING, & PAT SAYING, comicbooks.com