Life — August 12, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Life Magazine, August 12, 1897 This page contains a single cartoon titled "Generous," depicting an interaction between a woman seated in a chair and a young boy standing before her. The dialogue reads: "GIVE ME A BITE OF YOUR CANDY, PLEASE, FLOSSIE?" / "NO, BUT YOU MAY KISS ME WHILE MY MOUTH IS STICKY." The cartoon appears to be a humorous commentary on social propriety and childhood behavior in the 1890s. The joke hinges on the woman's conditional offer—she won't share candy directly, but permits a kiss, which she frames as acceptable only because her mouth is "sticky" (presumably from the candy). This satirizes Victorian-era social conventions around acceptable physical contact and the somewhat contradictory or illogical reasoning adults used to justify their actions to children.