Life, 1899-07-27 · page 13 of 20
Life — July 27, 1899 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page critiques New York's popular rooftop entertainment venues of the early 1900s. The text mocks how Madison Square Root Garden (a pun on Madison Square Garden) has declined in quality, now offering "Bowery methods" and cheap vaudeville better suited to Coney Island, while charging high prices for poor drinks and mediocre entertainment. The cartoons illustrate the absurdity: the left panel shows comical animal acts or performers; the right panels depict "Historic Flirtations" featuring Bonaparte and Josephine, and a beach/seaside scene titled "All Ashore That's Going Ashore"—likely satirizing the venue's low-quality vaudeville programming. The author Metcalfe argues venues excuse poor entertainment by blaming competition for talent, but criticizes them for overcharging the "easily fooled" public. The satire targets both the deteriorating quality of roof gardens and audiences' gullibility.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ts 1” roof, and Lire cannot recommend the place to such of its readers as wish to roof-garden with a mind free from dread, ‘Tho Madison Square Root Garden, which is commodious, comfortable and flroproof, has herctofore commanded the most select patronage in New York. This year it {8 giveh over to Bowery methods, and its vaudoville is of tho deserip- tion that flourishes best at Coney Island, Tho parallel extends to its high-collared beer at five centsa glass. . . . ROM the above it will bo scon that, although there is apparently a considerable number of these places competing with each ~" other in secking the patronago of roof-gar- deners, theroaro in reality only two or three where the pursuit may be carried on in comfort and safoty. Atall of thom—with the exception of the American—the prices are too high, when ono considers the HISTORIC FLIRTATIONS. BONAPARTE AND JOSEPHINE, “ALL ASHORE THAT'S GOING ASHORE!” quality of tho entertainment offered. There is no excuse for selling bad drinks at high prices, excopt that the public is casily fooled, The roof- gardens may perhaps be excused for tho poverty of their performances when one remembors how little real vaudeville talent there is and how many places are competing for It. BMetcalfe,