Life, 1893-03-23 · page 7 of 18
Life — March 23, 1893 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 183 **The Main Cartoon: "Loved Darkness"** This sketch depicts a domestic scene where Mr. Deadzone arrives home to find his wife with another man present. The humor relies on a double meaning: Tommy (presumably their son) explains he knew of the visitor's arrival because "Sir Tell Bridget not to fill up the parlor lamp"—implying the couple preferred darkness for their meeting. The cartoon satirizes infidelity and Victorian propriety by suggesting illicit behavior conducted in dimly lit rooms. **The Text Sections Below** "Dummy's Joke" and "On the Return Trip" are separate humorous anecdotes about misunderstandings and social observations, unrelated to the main cartoon. These represent typical Life magazine short comedic pieces from the early 20th century. The overall page demonstrates Life's satirical approach to middle-class domestic situations and social hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LOVED DARKNESS. Mr. Deadgone: Tommy : How pip you KNow I WAS COMING TO-NIGHT, TOMMY ? I HEARD Sis TELL BRIDGET NOT TO FILL UP THE PARLOR LAMP, MRIOUS. HE frowned on him and called him Mr... Because in fun he'd merely Kr., And then, in spite, The following nite, This naughty Mr. Kr. Sr. DUMMY’S JOKE. ONES was sauntering about at the Academy of Design J and chanced to meet a friend, a deaf-mute, who was conversing with a companion in sign-language. Greeting Jones cordially, the deaf-mute drew out a note book and pencil, and, after a brief pencil-and- paper conversation, intro- duced his companion by the same means, and shortly after withdrew, Jones and the stranger discussed the pictures pleasantly for twenty minutes or more, meanwhile covering the backs of sundry ‘envelopes and scraps of paper with their pencilings, when a fourth character in this little drama came upon the scene —a friend of Jones's new-made acquaintance. “ Hello, George!" said the dumb man to the new comer, familiarly ; “ How do you like the pictures this year ?” “ By Jove!" exclaimed Jones, in surprise; ‘can you talk?” “Well, I should smile,” said the gentleman, equally sur- prised, as he hastily put away pencil and paper. ‘Aren't you deaf and dumb?” “ Not by a darned sight,” Jones replied, thrusting into his pocket an envelope nearly covered with pencil marks; ‘ but I'll kill Dummy next time I see him!" Ernest P. Neville. ON THE RETURN TRIP. RIGGS: Hello, look at the driver of that Fifth Avenue stage with a silk hat on. GricGs: Yes. That's the one | made him a present of after I had ridden down town in his stage the other day. comicbooks.com