Life, 1893-09-28 · page 3 of 16
Life — September 28, 1893 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine (Volume XXIII, Number 561) contains a sketch-style cartoon depicting two figures in conversation about romantic misadventures. The caption "George, Father Has Failed" suggests domestic comedy centered on a failed courtship or marriage proposal. The dialogue reveals the joke's structure: a woman tells a man that his father attempted to prevent their marriage by claiming he'd "do all he could to keep us from marrying." The woman then reveals the father's failure—the man married a widow instead, presumably as a rebound or alternative. The humor appears to target both paternal interference in romance and the social awkwardness of hasty second marriages. The sketchy, theatrical illustration style is typical of *Life*'s satirical humor from this era. Without dating information visible, the exact historical context remains unclear.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NUMBER 561. “GEORGE, FATHER HAS FAILED.” “THAT's JUST LIKE HIM! I TOLD YOU ALL ALONG, DARLING, THAT HE WAS GOING TO DO ALL HE COULD TO KEEP US FROM MARRYING.” SAW Burnaud in London last summer.” “T ALWAYS knew he was too timid to propose.” “Really? How did you know it was he?” “ But he married a short time ago.” “He was laughing over Punch.” “Yes; but he married a widow.” “ comicbooks.com