Life, 1894-11-15 · page 1 of 16
Life — November 15, 1894 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "After Dinner" - Life Magazine, November 15, 1894 This cartoon depicts a domestic scene between two men in formal evening wear, apparently after dinner. The dialogue reveals a social awkwardness: one man asks "Where's your wife?" The other responds that he's "in no condition to speak to a lady," then clarifies he "only wanted t' avoid her." The humor targets Victorian-era marital dynamics and male behavior. The implication is that the man is intoxicated or otherwise socially compromised after dinner—a common satirical subject of the period. The cartoon mocks both male excess (drinking, poor conduct) and the social pretense required to navigate polite company and spousal relationships among the affluent classes. It's gentle domestic satire typical of Life's social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXIV. NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 15, 1894. NUMBER 620. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1894, by Mrrcweut & Mituer, AFTER DINNER. “Tsay, SMITH, WHERE'S YOUR WIFE?” “1 DON'T CHOOSE TO TELL YOU, SIR. YOU ARE IN NO CONDITION TO SPEAK TO A LaDy,” “OWL THASHALRIGHT, I ONLY WANTED T’ AVOID HER,” comicbooks.com