Life, 1892-12-29 · page 40 of 47
Life — December 29, 1892 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **satirical humor page from Life magazine** featuring several unrelated comic vignettes typical of the era: 1. **"Burglar Caught in the Act"**: A burglar interrupts a couple to flirt with the woman, claiming he'd take ten years in prison for a kiss—crude Victorian-era romantic humor playing on the awkwardness of the situation. 2. **"Tight-Rope Performance in Africa"**: A monkey juggling balls on a tightrope—simple visual gag with no deeper meaning. 3. **Multiple short jokes** about servants breaking expensive vases, livery horses with inattentive couples, and a woman at a party who's the "mother-in-law" (implying she's not a welcome guest)—all domestic humor about class and social embarrassment. 4. **The large lower section is a **life insurance advertisement** for Massachusetts Mutual, using the phrase "Why Have You Not Made This Known to Me Before?" as a rhetorical hook—suggesting readers should regret not knowing about the company's favorable surrender values earlier. The page mixes entertainment with advertising, typical of early-1890s Life magazine.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
S Wey nurse — 4! Theives Burglar (caught in the act): LOR’, Miss, | AIN'T HIN HUGGED Like THIS since | WUZA BOY. [AIN'T A GOIN' TO STRUGGLE, MISS; DON'T BE AFEARED ; (in @ hoarse whisper) 1F YE'D ON'Y ADD A KISS TO THE HUG, MISS, I'D TAKE TEN YEARS IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT A KICK! A TIGHT-ROPE PERFORMANCE IN AFRICA. ~ U First Livery Horst: Say, taking spooney couples out is the ¢ . Mg. MATER: Do you like children, Me. Baldie ? Secoxp Ditto: How is that ? Mk. BALDtE: I just love them, at the theatre. First Livery Horse: | took a couple out the other evening and I stopped “The theatre?” three times and they didn’t notice it for about half an hour.—New York Herald. wy indeed. I love to have the dear little things vn the seats in front of me."—New York Weekly. Mistress: Remember, Mary, if you break anything, I shall stop it out of your wages, Mas, Husswire; Why does the baker's young man hurry away in that ab- SERVANT (imprudently triumphant): Doit! Do it! [ve just broken that surd fashion, Sarah?” He hardly gives himself time to deliver the bread. ‘ fifty-guinea vase in the drofin'-room ; an’ if you can stop that out of a pound—for EXCEPTIONALLY PLAIN HANDMAIDEN: No, mum. You see, it’s leap year, I'm goin’ to leave at the end of the month—you'll be mighty clever!—Lxchange. mum.—Funny Folks, Mr. STavLATE: Yes, Miss Genevieve, [ have been hunting for lodgings all + ARE you a friend of the family ?” asked an attendant of a woman who was the week. trying to enter a house where some sort of a celebration was in progress. Miss GENEVIEVE: You seem to have found them at last, Mr. Staylate-— No, Lam not,” quickly, but innocently came the reply ; ‘I’m the mother-in- Chicago News Record. "Yonkers Statesman. Why Have You Not Made This Known to Me Before? is the question that many a man asks when he first learns that in The Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.,. OF SPRINCFIELD, MASS. M. V. B. EDCERLY, Pres. JOHN A. HALL, Sec. he can insure his life, with the privilege of retiring, on any anniversary of his policy date, after the first, with a generous surrender value in cash or in paid-up insurance. Well, the Company is trying to make it known, and to publish to all, the fact that these surrender values are fixed by law and stated in the policy, and furthermore guaranteed by ample assets. $12,239,529.16 11,236,837.26 CLINTON J. EDGERLY, Gen'l Manager, 10 W. 23d St., cor. Fifth Ave., New York City. comicbooks.com