Life, 1893-01-26 · page 3 of 14
Life — January 26, 1893 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XXI, Number 526) The main illustration depicts a Chicago social scene with the caption "IN CHICAGO" and dialogue: "They say she's going to marry him." / "And who is he?" / "Her first husband." This is satirical commentary on Chicago society, specifically mocking the frequency of remarriage or marital instability among the city's upper classes. The joke hinges on the dark humor that a woman is marrying "her first husband"—implying either she's had multiple husbands already, or there's confusion about which husband is which. It ridicules Chicago's wealthy social circles as frivolous and morally lax. The page also contains brief satirical pieces ("An Epitaph" and "A Wise Precaution") mocking various social types, including office seekers and showmen, typical of Life's general satirical approach to American society and politics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME Xxl. NUMBER 65 26. IN CHICAGO. “THEY SAY SHI “AND WHO Is HE?” GOING TO MARRY HIM.” ‘HER FIRST HUSBAND.” AN EPITAPH. ERE lies the chronic office seeker, Michael T. McGout, Who never sought a single place But that he was left out. Twas in the month of August last, The late lamented died : And now he’s in the only place For which he ne'er applied. 6€-)SCULATORY demonstrations may be all right,” mused the mistletoe; ‘ but—ahem !—as a rule, I'm above that sort of thing.” A WISE PRECAUTION. ROSPECT HEIGHTS: Don’t you find that the trol- ley cars affect your watch ? PARKLEY FRONTER: No, I haven't noticed it. Prospect HE[GHTS: That's strange; how do you account for it ? PARKLEY FRONTER: ticket. Well, you see, | only carry the ROBSON: Who was the greatest showman—Barnum ? CRaIk: Oh, no; Noah, You see, when he got his menagerie together he was the only man on earth who had any show at all. comicbooks.com