Life, 1895-11-21 · page 9 of 18
Life — November 21, 1895 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 329 This page features a satirical illustration and accompanying dialogue about gender roles and literary ambition in the early 20th century. The cartoon depicts a man reading a newspaper while a woman stands nearby. The caption records their exchange: the man asks if the woman is "trying very hard to be a man," and she responds by questioning whether they need "one in the family." The subsequent text discusses a "Fashion Writer" who challenges gender conventions by pursuing authorship and literary success. References to Byron, Hazlitt, and other male literary figures underscore the satire: women's intellectual and professional aspirations are being mocked as unfeminine imitation of men. The piece appears to satirize early feminist or suffragist ambitions, treating women's desire for professional independence and intellectual recognition as amusing or unseemly—a common conservative social critique of the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mr. Bo: Mrs, Bi: You ARE TRYING VERY HARD TO BE A MAN, IT SEEMS. WELL, DON'T YOU THINK WE NEED ONE IN THE FAMILY? Then the Fashion Writer spoke : “I agree with the Recipe Woman,” she said. She was not ex- pected to be original, She knew the Vanderbilts’ maid. “And yet,” said the Author of * Crochet Clothes for Infants," "* you date your articles from Paris.” The Fashion Writer dida’t retort. Her pose was repose. Here the woman who wrote the column called ‘* Advice to Young Girls" broke into the conversation. A Manhattan cocktail, which she had just paid for with the proceeds derived from a temperance article, had inspired her. “ Personality is bound to come out in literary work,” she said. “Lord Byron was no theorist. No one can doubt that Richard Harding Davis is really a society man—his writing always seems so brainy. A man's books are himself. Read the books and you know the man.” Here silence actually occurred, All were surprised to find such a burst of brilliancy outside of a suppressed play. “Your books are yourself,” she resumed.‘ My books are myself.” “You do yourself an injustice,” murmured the Storyette Writer. “But won't you tell us how you manage to keep up that constant supply of advice to young girls?” “ Nothing easier,” answered the Advice Woman, “I always advise the girls not to do that which I have done myself. As advice is never taken I know that I'm not condemning the girls to a slow time. But if we are to have an exchange of confidences, I should like to ask Mrs. Recamier Powder-Puff whence she stole those ‘Complexion Hints,’ which appeared in our last number. Where is she ?” “She has left the city,” answered the Storyette Writer, gravely. “Five women took those hints and acted upon them.” A gloom fell upon the little group. Then the Poetess of Passion rose. She had been busy finishing the olives. “Well, good-bye, dear girls,” she said. lovely time, without any horrid men !"" And with this Big Bluff they parted. “ We've had a perfectly Jessie M. Wood. comicbooks.com