Life, 1894-12-06 · page 1 of 16
Life — December 6, 1894 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Always Behind" This cartoon from *Life* magazine (December 6, 1894) uses the caption "Always Behind" to make a joke about punctuality or timeliness. The illustration shows two fashionable women examining a painting titled "Sunrise in the Alps," with one woman (identified as "Maket") asking where it was painted. The other woman, identified as "Horizont" (consulting catalog) from Philadelphia, responds that it's from Philadelphia. The humor appears to derive from the contrast between the painting's subject (an Alpine sunrise) and its origin (Philadelphia), or possibly from "Horizont" always being late or behind in some way. Without additional context about 1894 Philadelphia society or the artist, the specific satirical target remains unclear, though the joke involves fashionable society's pretensions regarding art.
📄 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, DECEMBER 6, 1894. NUMBER Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1894, by Mitcwett & Mitter, prshicanys PA oe ee Svm.% ALWAYS BEHIND. Mabel: “ SUNRISE IN THE ALPS"—WHY, IT LOOKS ABOUT NOON TIME, I WONDEK WHERE IT WAS PAINTED? Hortense (consulting catalog): PHILADELPHIA,