Life, 1896-01-02 · page 3 of 20
Life — January 2, 1896 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page from *Life* magazine (Volume XXVII, Number 679) contains a satirical cartoon and accompanying poem about romantic correspondence. **The Cartoon:** Shows a woman gesturing dramatically while a man sits on a sofa looking uncomfortable or dismissive. The caption references a debate about "a bore like a microbe"—suggesting the woman is tediously persistent. **The Poem (Anonymous):** Describes a woman who sends a love letter to a bachelor via a maid. The man reads it repeatedly but seems conflicted, eventually responding coldly. The poem's conclusion, attributed to "Tom Masson," suggests the woman cannot understand his lack of reciprocation—the humor lies in her obliviousness to his disinterest. **The Satire:** This mocks romantic persistence and miscommunication between genders, particularly women's supposed inability to recognize when their affections are unwanted—a common theme in early 20th-century satirical publications.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXVII. s B | f F bi NUMBER 679. WITH ILLUSTRATIONS TO FOLLOW. He: A BORE LIKE A MiICkOBE ? I GIVE IT UP, “BECAUSE IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO FREEZE HIM OUT, BUT YOU CAN EASILY MAKE (T TOO HOT FOR HIM.” ANONYMOUS. WAS wrought by a maiden with beautiful hands, “Ob, tell me,” he muttered, ** for L must reply Who painted my sides in a day, To the one who has wrought with such grace, And stitched me with silk and bedecked me with bands, Are you to hold photos? Are you a necktie? And afterwards sent me away. Or are you a handkerchief case ? I went through the mail with her card in my grasp ‘* Maybe you're a tool bag to tic on a wheel, To a bachelor man who lived near, Or a mat for a swell jardiniére. And when he beheld me he gave quite a gasp Your name and vocation now straightway reveal.” And sighed o'er the message of cheer And his voice was the voice of despair. That she, with her dainty and feminine pen But how could I tell? For she didn’t tell me. Had written above her fair name ; So he wrote an acknowledgment fit And,he looked me all over again and again To express his surprise and his absolute glee, With a look that was ever the same. And referred to me all through as ** it.’ Tom Masson, 4177829 comicbooks.com