Life, 1899-01-12 · page 17 of 20
Life — January 12, 1899 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising** for toiletries (White Rose Glycerine Soap, Williams' Shaving Stick, Rae's Olive Oil) typical of early 20th-century Life magazine content. The notable satirical element is the **bottom illustration and caption**, which parodies **Tennyson's poem** (likely "The Brook"). The cartoon depicts a figure crossing rectangular, geometric rivers in China, humorously adapting Tennyson's romantic verse to mock Chinese landscape features as absurdly rectilinear and unnatural compared to Western rivers. The joke relies on Western stereotypes of China as exotic and bizarre—the satirist presents Chinese geography itself as comically artificial and uninviting. The modified quote attributes the sentiment to "Tennyson (adapted)," making clear this is a playful literary parody rather than genuine criticism. The overall page reflects early 1900s American attitudes: mixing consumer goods with casual cultural mockery of non-Western nations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
arty a mag thing | asked RYE onthls, Transparentas crystal. “The mane J cleansing properties and absolut fF” purity, as well as the refined and deli (9 cate perfume of this toilet soap, have ¥ laced i it at the see of all. EThe Best is the Cheapest] Tae’s Olive Oil is both the best and cheapest, “_ considered. iss ————— Jersey Cream (Toilet) Soap, IS cts. Williams’ Shaving Soap Barbers"), 6 Round Cakes, Mbaaaer Exquisite spo fortallet, Trial cake for a, stamp. -WILLIAMS C is free from rancidity and all § One URY Cone. other undesirable qualities, and it is of Superior \ Quality and Flavor.” S. RAE & CO., Leghorn, Italy. Established 1836, f Ic ) ae Mill Mi mM i) ! f lh | Eins a —— Worse than fifty days of Joseph 1s a rallroad tn Cathay —TENNyson (adapted), 1 dread the Chinese mountains, Bat the things which give me spasms Are these rivers—all rectangular, That ow through gloomy chaxms.