Life, 1897-03-04 · page 1 of 20
Life — March 4, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine, March 4, 1897 - "A Mystery" The main cartoon depicts two women in dark clothing and large hats examining something together, shown in silhouette within a circular frame. The caption reads: "While Miss Fitz was away George took her parrot. Anything happen? 'I don't know; she keeps the parrot down cellar, and the engagement is off.'" This appears to be a romantic scandal joke involving a woman named Miss Fitz. The humor hinges on a broken engagement apparently caused by the mysterious disappearance of her parrot while she was away—and her fiancé George's involvement in taking it. The "mystery" is whether something improper occurred, suggested by the parrot now being hidden "down cellar" and the engagement ending. It's a Victorian-era innuendo joke playing on social propriety and scandal.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
NEW YORK, MARCH 4, 1897. NUMBER 741. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. Copyright, 1897, by Mircume, & Mitten, A MYSTERY. “WHILE MISS FITZ \WAY GEORGE TOOK HER PARROT.” “ ANYTHING 2” ““T DON'T KN } SHE KEEPS THE PARROT DOWN CELLAR, AND THE ENGAGEMENT IS OFF," comicbooks.com