Life, 1896-11-19 · page 11 of 18
Life — November 19, 1896 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Our Daughters in Politics" - Life Magazine Satire This page satirizes women's involvement in politics and public life. The top cartoon shows a domestic scene where a woman discusses a suitor: a man proposed to her daughter, but he's a "free silver man" (supporter of unlimited silver coinage—a major 1890s political debate). The mother rejected him despite his virtues, prioritizing political ideology over matrimonial suitability. The lower section, titled "The First Step," mocks a "lady burglar" through dark humor: a judge asks how she became a criminal. She replies she started by robbing her sleeping husband's pockets—implying that women entering public/criminal life represents a dangerous moral decline from domestic virtue. The satire criticizes women's political engagement as threatening traditional gender roles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
OUR DAUGHTERS IN POLITICS. “PAPA, MR, WESTERN PROPOSED LAST NIGHT.” “GREAT SCOTT, MOLLY! YOU DON'T MEAN THAT YOUNG RASCAL? WHY, HE'S A FREE SILVER MAN," “YES, I KNOW IT. BUT I MADE HIM PUT A GOLD CLAUSE IN BEFORE I ACCEPTED HIM.” THE FIRST STEP. £€7 WISH you would tell me,” said the kind old judge to the lady burglar, “show you came to adopt such a disreputable profession. How did you begin?” “Your honor,” replied the miserable woman, ‘‘ my first step was to go through my husband's pockets while he slept. After that the descent was easy.” jt pretty hard to admire a man who has succeeded where we have failed. HE public mind, being relieved for the present of political anxieties, would gladly be still further eased by some assurance as to the intentions of the lady in the bath-tub, The extreme prevalence’ of her portrait in the soap and lotion romances in the rear end of all the magazines has carried her into every American home, and made her the intimate acquaintance of every family. Opinion is a good deal divided about her. There are those who think we can- not see too much of her, and again there are those who think that we already see more of her than we should. The latter faction declares that we sce a little more of her every month (which is true), that she is now higher up in the world by a head and shoulders than she should be, and that families ought to have some reliable assurance as to her intentions. Lirg takes pleasure in calling the attention of the friends of the lady to this reasonable desire. Perhaps a substantial bathing suit would serve as well as anything to allay distrust and make worrying people comfortable.