Life, 1897-03-11 · page 9 of 20
Life — March 11, 1897 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of "Aurelia" Page from Life Magazine This page features a poetic illustration titled "Aurelia" by Wood Lewette Wilton. The image depicts an elegant woman in Edwardian-era dress with an elaborate upswept hairstyle and ornate headpiece, positioned against stylized natural elements (bare branches, flowers). The accompanying poem appears to contemplate themes of spiritual devotion and Easter resurrection—"the chrysalis outgrowing, / To a life with splendor glowing / She again is born." The text references "Easter morn" and discusses whether noble thoughts and pure deeds motivate human experience. Rather than political satire, this appears to be an artistic/literary piece celebrating idealized femininity and spiritual renewal—typical of Life magazine's aesthetic content from the early 1900s. The elaborate visual presentation emphasizes decorative elegance over social commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
/ “AURELIA: SEEDGED with resolutions pious, Far away though she be nigh us, Moves the maid demure. Does the regis of devotion From all temporal emotion Keep her thoughts secure? Forty days, serene, unrufiled, Ears to worldly sounds close-muffied, Time passed as a dream; Dream, perchance of pure deeds votive, Or were raiment fine its motive? Good or goods its theme? Then the chrysalis outgrowing, To a life with splendor glowing She again is born. Never knows maid greater glory, Be she in life, song, or story, Than on Easter morn. Weed Levette Wilson, ‘ , ror