Life, 1897-01-28 · page 8 of 20
Life — January 28, 1897 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 70 **Top cartoon: "Hercules Opens the First Dog Show"** A classical allegorical figure (labeled Hercules) gestures toward dogs being presented. This appears to satirize the debut of a dog show, using mythological grandeur to mock what the cartoonist treats as a trivial social event. **Middle section: "An Escaped Lunatic"** This cartoon depicts an asylum patient attempting to gain admission to Bellevue Pavilion by disguising himself. The text reveals the satirical point: the man is so obviously insane that even asylum doctors cannot miss it. The joke critiques both the patient's poor deception and possibly institutional incompetence. **Bottom: "One on the Humorist"** A brief humorous anecdote about someone offering peanuts as a "change," playing on the double meaning of the word.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
HERCULES OPENS THE FIRST DOG SHOW. AN ESCAPED LUNATIC. LY one of the patients from the asylum of New Journalism on News- paper Row made his escape, and, with the cunning peculiar to the insane, sought admis- sion to Bellevue Pavilion. The attempt was almost suc- cessful. The applicant was not violently insane, but the symptoms of a disordered mind were so plainly apparent that two of the examining doctors passed him without suspicion. Fortunately, however, the third doctor was iar with the patients of the Newspaper Row institution, and, identifying the wanderer, had him sent k to his own asylum. Commissioner Croft was notified of the attempt, and was much horrified at the informal methods of admittance to the pavilion which exposed it to such danger. He has since adopted the most stringent regulations as to admission. Just w actuated the lunatic in his attempted entrance to Bellevue Pavilion is not certainly known. The ravings of the Newspaper Row establishment have been lately somewhat extra- ordinary; but the food scems to be good, the general treatment humane, excepting possibly the tasks imposed upon some of the inmates, and no serious complaints have been made by the pa- tients. There is, however, a suspicion — which may account for Commissioner Croft's decisive action— that-this was the first move in a carefully devised scheme to transfer the entire institution on News- paper Row to the asylum at Blackwells, and thus saddle the whole enormous expense of its mainte- nance upon the city gov- ernment. The utmost vigilance is now being exercised at Bellevue Pavilion. ONE ON THE HUMORIST. peanut thinking you would appreci- ate a change,” said young Mr. Pom- pon to Snickers, the humorist. “A change?” re- plied the humor- ist, thoughtfully. “Yes, a change Su) from chestnuts, you ae know. A BRILLIANT WOMAN.