Life, 1899-06-01 · page 5 of 26
Life — June 1, 1899 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Life" Page 457 - "Life" (Satirical Sketch) This page presents a domestic comedy sketch titled "Life," typical of Life magazine's satirical social commentary. The central poem defines life as "a little story, / Punctuated, in the main, / With commutes of our happiness / And with periods of pain." The accompanying dialogue scenes appear to satirize marriage dynamics. One caption shows a husband claiming he loves his wife "almost as much as I would love myself if I were an actor" — mocking male vanity and conditional affection. The opposing caption criticizes a wife for being "very unselfish" while actually concealing financial extravagance from her husband, satirizing hypocrisy and deception within marriages. The sketch uses domestic situations to humorously critique gender relations and relationship authenticity of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
&g g 3 g P ‘ f 5 bs 8 g E fi £ 5 3 E g 3 £ Fe g iJ 3 Fy : 5 gs Ee Er ea > ef g: 3 g : & a By 3 : FS 2 g E € QUT do you really love me, George?” Life. “ CHE is very unselfish; isn’t she? “Do I really love you, Clemen- IFE 1s but a littlo story, “Very. Her spring bills were tina? Dol? Why, precious one, I love [oo Peoctuated, inthe aici: twice as much as she expected, aod she You almost as much as I would love my- With commas of our happiness concealed it from her husband as long as self if I were an actor!” And with periods of pain, possible, knowing he would be worried.”