Life, 1896-10-22 · page 1 of 26
Life — October 22, 1896 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine, October 22, 1896 **Main Cartoon: "Verification"** This illustration shows a man in silhouette driving a horse-drawn sleigh through snow, viewed from above. The caption reads: "She: ARE YOU SURE THAT IT WAS A YEAR AGO TO-DAY THAT WE BECAME ENGAGED, DEAR? 'YES. I LOOKED IT UP IN MY CHECK-BOOK THIS MORNING.'" The joke satirizes a man's materialistic, business-like approach to romance. Rather than remembering their engagement anniversary emotionally, he consults his financial records—suggesting he treats even intimate relationships as mere transactions to be verified like accounts. This mocks the era's growing commercialization and men's supposed emotional detachment, positioning the woman as more sentimental than her unromantic suitor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 22, 1896. NUMBER 721. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1694, hy MiTcuELL & MILLER, VERIFICATION. She: ARE YOU SURE PHAT IT WAS A YEAR AGO TO-DAY THAT WE BECAME ENGAGED, DEAR ? “YES. I LOOKED IT UP IN MY CHECK-BOOK THIS MORNING.” comicbooks.com