Life, 1899-05-04 · page 3 of 20
Life — May 4, 1899 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 375 **Top Cartoon:** Shows a woman (possibly a widow, given the caption "A Pleasant Surprise for the Girl Who Marries a Utah Widower") presenting children to an assembled group. The satire targets polygamy in Utah—a practice that was controversial and illegal in most of America during this period. The joke plays on the "surprise" of marrying a man who already has children from previous marriages, treating polygamy as an absurd social condition worthy of ridicule. **"Cupid's Moving-Day" Poem & Illustration:** A narrative poem about Cupid attempting to woo a woman named Chloris, with accompanying silhouette illustrations of figures in motion. The story describes romantic pursuit and rejection, ending with the suggestion that securing a wife requires a business "lease." Both pieces use humor to comment on marriage and courtship customs of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
usual cially facili- such zning n ofa oduct and. prio nounted Cupid’s Moving-Day. E came a-tapping soft, one May, At Chloris’s tender heart, And said he fancied that he'd stay If she with room could part; She listened to his joyous din, But would not stop to let him in, Suspecting what the rogue was at— "Twas Cupid looking for a flat! And other maiden landlords smiled And beckoned to the boy, Who sulked and pouted, unbegutled Py all their promised joy; He wanted quarters up to date, And heeded not the hour was lato, But stood and cried at Chioris’s door— In fact, Tam afraid he swore. He raved; his tears in torrents fell, A most unhappy lovo, And vowed he liked the place s0 well He'd never, never move, But Chloris said that wouldn't do, Sho know bis promise rife, Ho'd have to get a backer who Would take a lease for life! BIRDS wii? BE BIRDS. comicbooks.com