Life, 1897-04-22 · page 19 of 20
Life — April 22, 1897 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon satirizes **child labor and harsh treatment of children** through a humorous comparison. Two young children commiserate about being forced to bathe daily—one says "my mother makes me take a bath every day," and the other responds "so does mine, poor Fido!" The joke's cruel humor lies in the children equating themselves with a dog ("Fido"), suggesting they're treated like animals. This reflects late-19th-century anxieties about **inadequate child welfare and parental discipline practices**. The exaggerated baby-talk spelling ("MUVVER," "KATH") emphasizes their youth and vulnerability. The page also contains period advertisements for bicycles and railroad travel—typical for *Life* magazine of the 1890s, which mixed satirical editorial content with commercial ads. These ads provide historical context about contemporary consumer goods and transportation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FELLOW-FEELING FOR A FELLOW-CREATURE. “POOR FIDO! MY MUVVER MAKES ME TAKE A KATH EVERY Day.” “SO DOES MINE, PO-0-08 FIDO!"? The success of the Waverley Bicycle in '96 places it at the head of the leaders for '97. This year we produce a new and expensively made wheel, equipped with the only per- fect bearings yet made—$100 Last year’s famous model, greatly improved.-has been reduced to ‘The saving is in the cost of machinery. Catalogue Free. Indiana Bicycle Co., Indianapolis, Ind. = @] || ALL REFLECTING ee ET SURIACES | | eitinscnmatee” || CPROTECTEDS “The Overland Limited’’ —— California. Runs on Time UNION Only 4 Days a PACIF! from Every Day A New York City in the Hox: Week... % 7 EQ san Francisco. Send Stamp for Copy of ‘Sights and Scenes in California.” Tickets via Union Pacific System can be ob- tained from all Ticket Agents in the United States and Canada; and full information relative to this system will be cheerfu: y ur- nished upon application to R. TENBROECK, Gen’! Eastern Agent, 287 Broadway, New York City. E, DICKINSON, General Manager. E. L. LOMAX, General Pass, and Ticket Agent, Omaha, Neb.