Life, 1894-10-04 · page 12 of 18
Life — October 4, 1894 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This 1890s *Life* magazine page satirizes British snobbery and American tourists. **The Main Article ("Not a Mystery"):** A British publication (*Pall Mall Budget*) recounted how Princess Beatrice and her husband traveled incognito to the French coast, successfully avoiding recognition. However, a young woman at a restaurant asked to switch seats with the Princess to sit near "my young man." **The Satire's Point:** The *Life* writer mocks the British writer's tone—he seems scandalized that royalty wasn't recognized and mingled with ordinary people. *Life* asks sarcastically: why should the young woman blush? The British author then adds that the royals were *mistaken for American tourists*, which *Life* ridicules as either insulting Americans or revealing British class anxiety. **The Cartoon ("Having His Wits About Him"):** Unclear without caption context, but appears to show a character dealing with multiple figures, possibly illustrating another social situation. The overall message: British snobbery about class distinction is absurd, especially their condescension toward Americans.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
He: HE 1S REALLY IN LOVE WITH HER, AND SHE IS AS BRIGHT AS A DOLLAR, She: YS; AND HE'LL FIND HER ABOUT AS HARD TO GET, TOO, NOT A MYSTERY. with the dull, heavy expression which seems to run in the “TPHIS little anecdote published in the Pa// Mall Budget is family, Andthose certainly are not American characteris- one of those things that sends a thrill of awe up the spine tics. Could ithave been their accent? That seems unlikely. of the British reader A short time ago Trincess Beatrice, escorted by her husband, Prince Henry of Battenberg, took advantage of the quiet now prevailing at Cowes to make a brief trip to the French coast. Their Royal Highnesses pre- ved the strictest incognito, and were so successful in escaping recognition about their little excursion hy out in the French or tourists, enjoyed themselves immensely at St. Malo and elsewher suspected with the crowd ai nary mortals, They visited Mont St. Michel and cheerfully joined in the rush for seats at the Calle d’héte after watching the culinary operations in the Brobdingnagian kitchens, Princess Beatrice had with some difficulty secured a place, when a ly of said to her: ** Id you mind changing with me next to my young man?” The object in view, and if ¢ will have the opportunity of But we fail tosee why the damsel should blush unless it be for the depressing snobbery of the man who wrote the paragraph And why were they taken for American tourists? Is that a compliment to the American tourist or otherwise > The Prin- cess, as we remember her portraits, has a rather ordinary face HAVING HIS WITS ABOUT 1M, comicbooks.com