Life, 1893-11-30 · page 12 of 18
Life — November 30, 1893 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Fairy Love Fair" - Life Magazine Satire This page contains two distinct pieces of humor: **The Main Poem/Illustration**: A whimsical narrative about a young woman visiting a magical fair where fairies sell romantic commodities—"love mes," "yeses," sighs, and borrowed affections from other women. The maiden seeks ways to reciprocate her suitor Roland's love without compromising her modesty or independence. The joke satirizes Victorian courtship conventions: women were expected to be coy and withhold affection, yet men demanded emotional responsiveness. The fairies' absurd "goods" mock how romance was treated as a transaction. The maiden's final refusal to "buy" suggests her own agency—she already possesses Roland's devotion ("already his"), so artificial gestures are unnecessary. **The Brief Dialogue Below**: A joke about mercenary marriage. Penelope argues that her husband's money-making skills and her spending habits create a perfect "team"—satirizing marriages based on financial compatibility rather than love, reflecting early-20th-century anxieties about materialism in courtship. Both pieces gently mock relationship customs of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
352 A FAIRY LOVE FAIR. ORTY little Fairies Held a Fairy fair ; Everything that rare is Sold those Fairies there, One had bits of ** wishes,” Ripe for maids and beaux, Served in heart-shaped dishes, Any wish you chose. WHEN SPEED TOLD. - LIFE: One sold * lovers’ quarrels,” Also sweet ** make-ups,” “* Hasty words—with morals,” Lovers’ *' brimming cups.” Came a lovely maiden To the Fairies’ fair ; Cheeks with roses laden, Sunshine in her hair : ** Have you any * love mes," “+ Roland teases so, “*Loveme ! love me! loveme !” “Cries my sighing beau. “Have you any ‘yeses’ “* Free from maiden’s whim ? “+ Roland pleads for “+ And I've no ‘ yes" for him, “Ah! my lover sighs so, * Have you any ‘sighs,’ “Any ‘sob’ or ‘ heigho’ “That my heart could buy? “Tell me, Fairies witty, “ What is maid to do “When her heart's all pity “For a heart all true? “When she wants to love him, “When she tries to try ; “To console her lover “What shall maiden buy?” Spoke one little Fairy : “+ Here are ‘ cousinships’ “Sold with kisses airy, “Fresh from cousins’ lips. “+ Here's a ‘smile from Mollie,’ “** Blush from Susie’s cheek,” “ Here's a ‘laugh all jolly,” “* Here’sa ‘glance all meek.’ “Here's a ‘sigh of pleasure’ “* Breathed by Marguerite, “* Here's the ‘ rhythmic measure’ “Of her dancing feet. nis is ‘Cupid's Doll-land,’ Joys for every whim. “Buy these things for Roland, “They will comfort him.” ‘Then the maiden flushing, Anger in her eye, Cheeks aflame with blushing, Cried ‘* I will not buy.”* Soft the Fairy whispered “* Wise resolve yours is, ** Since ad your Roland sighs for "Ts already his.” WP. Babcock. oS RIMUS: My fiancée is not only beauti- ful, but to know her is to love her. SEcuNnDus: Yes. I have heard that to meet her is to be engaged to her. ENELOPE: Don’t you see the advan- tage? RICHLEY: No; I do not, PENELOPE: Why, you know how to make money and I know how to spend it. What a team we'd make! comicbooks.com