Life, 1893-01-05 · page 39 of 60
Life — January 5, 1893 — page 39: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily an **advertising page** for a furrier (A. Jaeckel), but includes several short humorous anecdotes typical of Life's satirical content. The main illustrations show **fur garments** from the 1892-93 season—a man in a fur-lined coat and a woman in an elaborate fur cape, advertising the furrier's wares. The text snippets are period jokes: 1. **The elephant and piano**: A sentimental tall-tale about a circus elephant refusing to play piano because the ivory keys remind it of its mother's tusks (poaching reference). 2. **Election aftermath**: Post-election commentary showing a man feeling dejected after voting, comparing himself to the biblical Lazarus. 3. **Minor quips**: Brief jokes about photography ruining romance, wives learning Irish to speak with French maids, and artistic merit. The "Nancy Hanks" reference (caption) likely alludes to Abraham Lincoln's mother, though the full context is unclear. These represent typical *Life* magazine humor—gentle satire mixing domestic situations with topical references.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE proprietor of a circus announced that on a certain nighta trained elephant would play ona pianoforte, The evening came, the circus filled with an expectant public. After a while four men bore a cottage piano to the arena. When the animal was brought in, he walked slowly three times around the ring, and then, amid the keenest excitement, advanced tothe piano. With a slight ‘movement of his trunk he opened the keyboard, but hardly had he done so when a sudden change came over his appearance, His eyes dilated with rage and fear, he lifted his trunk in the air, and with a scream of ‘or rushed out of the arena, ‘The pro- ctor of the circus and the elephant's keeper held a short and hurried consulta- tion, and they too left the ring. After a few moments the proprietor entered and announced with regret that the perform- ance could not take place. The fact was, he said, that the elephant had recognized in the ‘keyboard of the instrument a por- tion of the tusks of his long-lost mother, who had fallen a prey to ivory hunters. Detroit Free Press. Tue day following election found the Saunterer traveling toward Boston in a Cambridge car. An atmosphere of min- gled joy and sorrow prevailed from the front platform to the rear. All his friends greeted him with either an optimistic smile or a pe-simistic frown, At last one more intimate than the others entered the car and found a seat by the Saunterer’s “| WONDER IF THAT MASTER OF MINE THINKS 1 AM ANOTHER NANCY HANKS."* ide. “Ah, cld man,” asked the latter, how are you feeling to-day 2” “Don't! "he ejaculated, For to So Alice has broken her engagsment with Tom. What do you tell the truth, I fecl like Lazarus after he had been licked by the dogs. trouble was? I know what the trouble was, Tom is an amateur photographer, yoa ki He took a picture of Alice one day, and when he showed her a blue | print from the negative, she told him right away that she never in the world could garry a inan who ever thought she looked like that,—Somerville Journal. Witnerny ; Your wife tells me she is learning to speak Irish, Bivter: Yes; she wants to ls atle to talk to her new French maid,—Smith, Gray & Co.'s Monthly. Mas, Trottey: Do tell me, Mr, Kanvass, which is the greatest wort of Some of the n ante whispered that Adazt and Eve's marriag Mr. Kaxvass: nos, madam.—.V. 3. Sua. FURS. '92-SEASON-’'93. New and Original Styles in JACKETS, CAPES, FUR GARMENTS, ETC. A. Jaeckel, FURRIER, 11 East 19th Street, New York. Ret. Hroudway and 5th Aw Receiver of the grand gold medal of the Paris Exposition Universelle, 1889. Catalogues Sent on Application, Mention Tire, comicbooks.com