Life, 1897-09-23 · page 5 of 20
Life — September 23, 1897 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 245 This page contains three separate humorous pieces: 1. **"À La Mode"**: A poem mocking fashionable society, particularly critiquing a bride's unstylish appearance despite wearing expensive garments. 2. **"The Paris-American School"**: A cartoon showing an art instructor and student. The artist claims he'll take a figure to Jersey to have a farmer pose for the head, wanting to "make it smack of the soil"—satirizing pretentious artistic affectation and the gap between European artistic tradition and American attempts to replicate it. 3. **"A Devastated Avenue"** and **"Presence of Mind"**: Brief anecdotes about Fifth Avenue construction and homely men with attractive wives—typical light humor about contemporary urban life and social observation. The page exemplifies *Life*'s satirical approach to American society, fashion, and cultural pretension.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A La Mode. HE trees of Paradise were all bedecked In leaves and flowers, plumage gay; The ground itself wasclothed in green the day That Mistress Eve appeared, and all, except The bride herself, were stylishly ar- rayed— Canst wonder, then, the lady was dismayed? : The birds wore A gorgeous butterfly laughed Eve to scorn; -LIFE- A green and scarlet paroquet, forsooth, Did try to patronize Madame. Intruth, They told her pointedly s4én wasn't worn. So, when the tempter came, and talked awhile, ‘Eve ate the fruit—and set the first “Fall” style. Lawrence K. Russel. HE JUDG What made you so certain that you had the right of way? Tue Driver: Sure an’ my wagon was the heaviest, yer honor. Oo” BEAU (to Messenger Boy): What did the young lady say when you gave her my flowers? MESSENGER Boy: She asked the young fellow she was sitting on the porch with if he didn’t want some for a boutonniere. | Harold; WALY GEE! GET ON TO DE CIGAROOT, WILL YER! AH, WHAT'S DE YER i A Devastated Avenue. T is reported that the management of the Horse Show are planning no less an out-of-door event for this fall than a test of hunters on Fifth Avenue. A steeplechase on that avenue would be far too dangerous, Da manatter THE PARIS-AMERICAN SCHOOL. The artist: 1 STARTED THA’ FIGURE. NOW I'M GOING TO TAKE IT OUT TO JERSEY SOME FARMER TO POSE FOR THE HEAD. 1 WANT TO MAKE IT SMACK OF THE SOIL, ‘ of course, but hunters that can go at ! their leisure from Washington Square ‘ to the Park without traveling on the | sidewalks or breaking any bones will receive prizes for cleverness. Meanwhile the avenue continues to be blasted by contractors and damned | by all New York. The job of ditch- ing and paving it was a big one, but it seems to have been very, very long * drawn out. Presence of Mind. E (just introduced): What a very homely person that gentleman near the piano is, Mrs. Black. SHE: Isn't he! That is Mr. Black. “How true it is, Mrs. Black, that the homely men always get the pret- tiest wives! THE RESULT.