Life, 1896-08-13 · page 3 of 18
Life — August 13, 1896 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page (Volume XXVIII, Number 711) This page contains two narrative illustrations with accompanying poetry, not political satire. The sketches depict romantic melodrama: **"A Rude Awakening"** shows a man confronting a woman about infidelity—he claims she promised exclusivity before engagement, but now suspects she entertained other suitors longer in their courtship. **"An Anxious Time"** depicts a granddaughter at a dying grandmother's bedside. The girl begs her elderly relative not to die, while the grandmother urges her to live—specifically to attend the Pleasanton's party tomorrow night, suggesting the young woman shouldn't let grief prevent social engagement. Both pieces satirize contemporary domestic relationships and social priorities through sentimental, dramatic verse. The humor relies on period attitudes about courtship, mortality, and society obligations rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXVIII NUMBER 711 “T KNOW IT, DEAR. BUT THAT WAS BEFORE WE WERI A RUDE AWAKENING. E told her that he was alone— She promised to become his own— Such happiness he'd never known— Excelsior ! He clasped her form, his to adore— But awful to relate, he swore— For he found out his sweetheart wore Excelsior ! AN ANXIOUS TIME. : H, grandma, grandma!” exclaimed the fair young girl, kneeling beside the bed. ‘* You must not die. You will not die?” The aged woman bestowed a fond look upon the agonived girl. ‘* My dear, I am glad to go,” she murmured, with faltering accents. “Oh, grandma, grandma!” cried the girl, in a voice stifled by her sobs. ‘My darling, you must not weep, you must not grieve,” faltered the dying woman. ‘I am old, so old and weary that I long for rest. What matters a few hours, now?” “You must live, grandma,” wailed the desperate girl. ‘‘ You must live —at least until after the Pleasanton’s party to-morrow night.” ‘ comicbooks.com