Life, 1897-05-06 · page 8 of 20
Life — May 6, 1897 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 376 The main illustration depicts two women in an art gallery or museum setting, with the caption quoting an aunt praising a portrait painter named Cobalt for his work. The aunt suggests he's a man of "such solid respectability" that she couldn't imagine him faltering at any undertaking. This appears to be gentle satire about social pretension and artistic reputation. The joke likely hinges on a contrast between the aunt's high opinion of the painter's character and reliability versus some implicit irony about artists or portrait painters that contemporary readers would have recognized. The page also contains "Life's Offer"—a literary competition soliciting short poems, with submission details and rules. This was a common feature of early-20th-century magazines encouraging reader participation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Aunt: THERE 18 YOUR FAVORITE, MR, COBALT, WHO PAINTED MY PORTRAIT. HIM A MAN OF SO MUCH ABILITY. I'M SURE ONE WOULD NEVER IMAGINE “AND STILL, DEAR AUNT, HE SEEMS A MAN WHO WOULD NOT FALTER AT ANY 61g UNDERTAKING.” LIFE’S OFFER. WHAT ARE THE TEN BEST SHORT POEMS? ANY inquiries have reached this office with regard to what length a short poem may properly be. As we stated in our last issue, this question is left en- tirely to the judgment of the contestants, it being impossible to frame a definition which would correctly set a boundary to the number of lines in a short poem. For the information of the doubtful, however, and without preju- dice, it is L1Fe’s private opinion that a short poem consists of one idea complete in its expression, and which can be read in a brief interval of time. Many short poems can be found in the longer flights of the poets. Among short poems not incorporated in a longer narrative, ‘‘Annabel Lee,” by Poe, or “At the Churchgate,” by Thackeray, may be given as fair ex- ample: Send in your list as early as possi- ble to ‘* Pegasus,” in care of Lire, Not more than one list will be con- sidered from each competitor, and this should in cach case be accom- panied by the correct name and ad- dress of the sender. The competition closes July tst, no lists being considered after that date. To the fortunate one whose list of the ten best short poems in the English language comes nearest to the popular verdict, will be sent a beautiful half-tone signed original by T. K. Hanna, Jr., framed in gilt, ze twenty by thirty inches, value $125. HE BENT SHOW: A bicycle parade. LACKING. TOLD her in passionate measure That my love was her own com- pletely ; She smiled, with a sorrowful pleasure, And said to me, slowly and sweetly: “Your love is my own completely ; Alas! that so soon I must spurn it,” She said to me, slowly and sweetly, “T haven't the heart to return it.” Percy Louis Shaw.