Life, 1893-04-20 · page 3 of 16
Life — April 20, 1893 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XXI, Number 538) **Top Cartoon:** A social satire depicting a woman being approached by a man in a park setting. The caption reveals the joke: he protests "I don't believe you'll ever marry me!" while she responds that she's been engaged to nine men but never married any of them. This satirizes women's romantic fickleness and the era's anxieties about marriage commitments—a common theme in early 20th-century humor. **"The Dreamer" Poem:** Sentimental romantic verse about idealized love and dreams, likely intended as ironic counterpoint to the marriage joke above. **Bottom Cartoons:** Two separate sketches—"Bad English" (showing a disheveled figure) and "Putting in His Time" (showing men in conversation)—appear to be unrelated brief humorous vignettes typical of Life's miscellaneous content. The page exemplifies Life's blend of romantic satire and everyday social observation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NUMBER 538. He; | DON'T BELIEVE YOU'LL EVER MARRY ME! WHY, YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN ENGAGED TO NINE MEN! She: Yes, BUT I NEVER MARRIED ANY OF THEM, GEORGE. THE DREAMER. IVE me my dreams, and let the rest go by, Your loves grow cold, your roses droop and die, Your days are dark, and quickly comes the night, While I live ever in a calm delight. For me June roses bloom the livelong year, Bright skies are mine, and all I hold most dear Come at my call, and gather round me here. Give me my dreams, and while the chill snow flies I dwell in gardens fair as Paradise ; Alas! my dreams alone no cash can give, And I must have the wherewithal to live, And worst of all, must go to work it seems, And let some richer fellow dream the dreams. Florence Rowena Hill. ISS WALDO: Do you think the Windy City is up to the Hub? MERRITT: It generally is, as far as mud “BAD ENGLISH.” is concerned. i TING IN HIS TIME.” comicbooks.com