Life, 1896-06-11 · page 3 of 20
Life — June 11, 1896 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page contains three separate items from *Life* magazine: **"The Rivals"** (top cartoon): Two elegantly dressed women examine a letter. The dialogue suggests one woman's romantic rival is making advances, with one character expressing weariness at being pursued. The satire targets romantic jealousy and social competition among upper-class women. **"A True Gentleman"** (middle): A hotel proprietor brags that his head-clerk is accommodating—having put $100 in the safe and returned only $5. The guest finds this acceptable. This satirizes loose ethics in service industries and suggests corruption was normalized among hospitality staff. **"A Good Deal for the Money"** (right): Playing cards are displayed. The caption likely jokes about gambling's poor odds. Overall, these pieces target social pretense, infidelity, and petty dishonesty among the leisure class.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XxXvVII THE RIVALS. “WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK! THAT OLD GOOSE OFFERS HIMSELF IN THIS LETTER!" “1 DON'T BLAME HIM! He's TIRED OF BEING REFUSED,” A TRUE GENTLEMAN. UEST (of summer hotel, to proprietor): Your head-clerk is one of the most accommodating men I ever saw. Proprietor: I'm glad you think so. What has he done for you? “I put $1roo in the safe, and he let me have $5 of it back.” NEE write leadpencil comments in a borrowed book. The owner may rub them out. Use ink. A GOOD DEAL FOR THE MONEY. comicbooks.com