Life, 1893-08-03 · page 14 of 18
Life — August 3, 1893 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains multiple satirical pieces typical of 1890s-1900s American humor: **"Why She Thought So"** (top): A joke about a poet's failed career—his wife assumes he quit writing because his last poetry collection was so bad, it discouraged him. **Racist Dialect Humor** (left): Two separate vignettes using offensive "blackface" dialect stereotypes common to the era. Characters debate fashion choices and reference watermelon and mustard plasters in exaggerated vernacular—typical of period entertainment that relied on racial caricature. **"A Tale of the Sea"** (right): Absurdist parody poetry mocking overly sentimental Victorian verse through nonsensical imagery (a ship on a mountain, ears that weep, cobweb restraints). **"A Result of Hot Weather"** (bottom): Social satire on class pretension—wealthy women mistake an iceman for a gentleman suitor; a man's new cook is so plain she's mistaken for his romantic interest, satirizing both male vanity and women's superficiality. The page reflects period attitudes: crude racial humor was considered mainstream entertainment, while genteel society received mockery for snobbery and hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘LIFE: WHY SHE THOUGHT SO. The Poet: Wat Lev YoU To THINK I HAD QUIT WRITING POETRY ? She; YOuR Last BOOK OF VERSE. Rat US: Wha’ foh yoh wear such a necktie as dat, niggah? Doan yoh know red and green inhommonious combination ? Jake: Am dat Den how ‘bout er water- melyon? am an so? “Fo! pe Lawo’s Sake, DAT 'DICKLUS POSITION ?”” ‘“*MODDER DONE PUT A MUSTARD PLASTER ON MA BACK LARSE CHRISMUS, AND CLAR DONE FORGOT ALL ABOUT IT TILL DIS YAR FOFE JULY.” MALACHI, WHAT DOIN’ STANDIN' IN He: BECAUSE, OTHERWISE, HE MAY DISAGREE WITH US. A TALE OF THE SEA. Written in the Silly Season. POET'S mind got off its hcoks Once on a Summer's day ; And sitting on a pile of books "Twas this he had to say : Prefatery. A good ship rode at anckor On the top of a mountain peak ; And the captain had a canker Inside of the first mate’s{cheek. The Condition of Affairs, ‘Then up the crew did mutiny While they were all asleep ; But at the captain's scrutiny ‘Their ears began to weep. The Uprising. He tied them all, both hands and feet, With cobwebs from the hold ; And gave them nought to eat but meat, And paid them nought but gold. The Fearful Punishment. Tom Halt. A RESULT OF HOT WEATHER. HAPERON Girls, one of the gentlemen who goes with us to the theatre to-night is a widower who wishes to marry again. He is a nice man. THE GIRLS (22 one breath): An ice man? I'll take him. OREIGNER (on @ suburban train): Who is that distinguished looking gentleman, showing so much attention to that ordinary looking woman beside him ? BINTHER: Oh, that is De Fitz-Smith returning from town with a new cook. comicbooks.com