Life, 1895-02-07 · page 12 of 16
Life — February 7, 1895 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Political & Social Satire from Life Magazine This page contains several short humorous pieces satirizing late-19th-century American life and fashion: **"Usurped Fashions"** mocks men adopting traditionally feminine clothing styles—a concern about blurred gender boundaries in dress. The joke suggests wearing petticoats is the only way to avoid appearing "effeminate," a paradoxical critique of changing fashion norms. **"In Hard Luck"** jokes about the bicycle craze: Wheeler bought one and is now on crutches, implying accidents were common among novice riders. **"Not Guilty"** plays on church propriety: a deacon denies putting a poker chip in the collection box, claiming he lost all his chips gambling the previous night—the humor lies in admitting the vice while technically denying the specific accusation. **The bicycle instruction cartoon** depicts a woman learning to ride while a confident (possibly inept) instructor boasts he even taught "an idiot." The humor targets both uncertain female cyclists and overconfident male instructors during the bicycle's novelty period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LITERARY NEWS. RILBY'S Ben Bolted with, The Green Carnation’s red, The Duchess was too indiscreet, And Sherlock Holmes is dead ! USURPED FASHIONS. ee I F anything I dis- like,” said one citizen, 's to see a man effeminate in his attire.” “Tt is unpleasant,” was the =* reply; ‘and yet about the only way for him to keep from being so these days is to put on petti- coats.” of certain well known belles help to beguile the hours of waiting. The great lens of the magnifying glass reveals us in splendid prismatic colors to the outside world—a world which little thinks of what we are called upon to endure as we sit day after day and night after night in the great white light that beats upon Our Village; a world that never dreams of the feelings of envy which fill our hearts when we look at the horses in the ring and realize that there is scarcely one of them that has not a pedigree, James L. Ford. IN HARD LUCK. ON : How's Wheeler getting along since he bought a bicycle? BROWN: On crutches, | believe. NOT GUILTY. P ASTOR (reprovingly) v that a poker chip you put into the contribution box? DEACON (¢ndignantly): No, sir. 1 didn't have a single chip when I quit last night. HE MAN (who #s alread, the worse for liquor and has ordered more): Yaas, | believe in the Transmigration of Souls. ONE OF THE GIRLS: -P The Lady: Vv RUNS RIGHT INTO SOMETHING THE MINUTE YoU LeT Go. OM, I'M SURE I NE O AIRES 2 -PCT= CAN NEVER LEARN TO RIDE iT. haps you were a man before Instructor; KEEP RIGHT ON, MA'AM; YOU'LL GET IT SOON, WHY, I TAUGHT AN IDIOT TO you became a tank. RIDE LAST WEEK.