Life, 1893-01-26 · page 7 of 14
Life — January 26, 1893 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Life Magazine, Page 55 This page contains two humorous sketches with accompanying dialogue. **Top cartoon ("Death")**: Shows a figure with a scythe confronting someone in a horse-drawn carriage. The joke concerns tired commuters on public transit—three ladies debate who should occupy a vacant seat, each claiming exhaustion. A businessman ultimately takes it, prompting the ladies' resigned acceptance. **Bottom cartoon ("Fifth Avenue")**: Depicts a horse-drawn delivery wagon on a crowded street, with the horse appearing distressed or collapsing. The accompanying dialogue shows a strawberry vendor and singer discussing painful dentistry—the singer's dentist extracted twenty teeth rather than one, leaving him unable to perform. Both sketches use visual exaggeration for comedic effect, depicting everyday urban inconveniences and misfortunes common to early 20th-century American city life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
*LIFE- JUDGING FROM WHAT HE HEARD. A Horse Car with one Vacant Seat. Enter three Ladies. IRST. LADY: There's a seat! SECOND Lapy: Yes, you take it, Minnie. THIRD LaDy: No, you take it, dear. First LaDy: One of you sit down; I'm not tired. SECOND AND THIRD LADIES (fogether): Neither am I! SCENE: DEATH, (7A ’, 2 | Sana 55 First Lapy: SECOND Lapy: day. THIRD Lapy: First Lapy: soon stand. SECOND Lapy: stand with you. Turd Lapy: Honestly, I'd rather stand myself. First Lavy: Oh, well take the seat before someone else gets it. I’m nota bit tired. SECOND LaDy: I'm not tired either. THIRD Lapy: Neither am I. BUSINESS MAN (behind his newspaper): 1 guess I'll hang on to my seat anyway. They seem perfectly fresh, and lam tired! I had a long nap this afternoon. I've been sitting around the house all IT haven't walked a step. Please sit down to oblige me; I'd just as Well, then Minnie can have it, and I'll A PAINFUL OPERATION. TRAWBER: shaky. SINGERLY: dentist. STRAWBER: What did he do—extract a tooth ? SINGE! : Worse than that. He extracted twenty What's the matter, old man? You look I am. I just had an interview with my FIFTH AVENUE. comicbooks.com