Life, 1894-05-24 · page 3 of 16
Life — May 24, 1894 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XXIII, Number 595) The main cartoon, titled "Life Goes to His New Home," depicts the magazine's mascot (a cherubic figure) being transported by two robed allegorical figures holding garlands, with additional figures in the background. The accompanying text explains that *Life* magazine is relocating its offices from Twenty-third Street to West Thirty-first Street in New York City. The satire humorously treats this mundane office move as an epochal event worthy of grand ceremonial treatment. The joke mocks both the magazine's self-importance and the melodramatic way major institutions announce routine administrative changes. The brief dialogue snippet below further employs humor about profane language to entertain readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE GOES TO HIS NEW HOME. WE MOVE! T is, of course, only 3 natural that when an =v institution like Lire changes its residence the civilized world should become more or less excited. first street, which means that art, literature and general progress move up eight blocks. But the sun, moon, stars and other heavenly bodies will continue to revolve, as heretofore, about what is left of Twenty-third Street. It is not expected by scientists that our moving from one temple to another will cause any disastrous physi- cal irregularities, such as floods, earthquakes or eclipses. Those things are not only unusual in this latitude, but the actual weight of what we take with us is not sufficient to disturb the earth's equilibrium. Some of the jokes may be heavy, and the cat weighs something, but the editors and business manager are packed away in camphor, and will, with a few bales of poetry, be floated over by a toy balloon. Our cartoon gives a better idea of this important event than any number of words, although conveying, of course, no impression of the music and color, or of the popular enthusiasm. et | WOULDN’T REPEAT. AM going to spend a week up at the Barker's in Riverdale,” said Borely. “ So Barker told me,” said Cynicus. “What did he say?” “ Well, really, Borely, I don’t like to say. / never use profane language.”