Life, 1897-12-16 · page 1 of 20
Life — December 16, 1897 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine, December 16, 1897 This page features a cartoon titled "Too Good a Boy" depicting a domestic scene between a woman and young boy. The dialogue reveals the satire's target: the boy asks what will be served at dinner, and the woman responds that the best portions of fowl are for guests—asking what he'll eat, he replies "just a few of the feathers, if you please!" The humor satirizes Victorian-era class consciousness and social pretension. The cartoon mocks wealthy households' practice of prioritizing guest entertainment over their own children's comfort, exposing the absurdity of such misplaced values. The ornate decorative border on the left is typical of Life's elaborate design aesthetic from this period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXX. NEW YORK, DECEMBER 16, 1897. NUMBER 783. Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Clast Mail Matter Copyright, 1891, by Miron, & MILLER, prehicanus LE Svm. TOO GOOD A BOY. “ NOW, EDWARD, THE BEST PORTIONS OF THE FOWL ARE POR THE GUESTS, $0 WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY WHEN 1 ASK YOU WHAT YoU WILL HAVE?" “JUST A PEW OP THR FEATHERS, 1F YOU PLEASE!" comicbooks.com