Life, 1899-08-31 · page 7 of 20
Life — August 31, 1899 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life's Biographical Primer - Page 167 This is a satirical alphabet page from *Life* magazine presenting caricatured biographical sketches of notable figures: **Q - The Queen**: Depicted with exaggerated features and long hair, labeled "Most noble and true." **R - Rubenstein**: Shown playing music, with a joke about wishing "Rollo and Itembrand...were deaf." **S - Swinburne**: A literary figure visiting the zoo, seeking "the true, the good and the beautiful," with references to classical philosophers (Sappho, Socrates). **T - Talleyrand**: Toasting "Miss Truth" with Mark Twain, in a glass of vermouth. These are humorous biographical sketches mixing real historical/contemporary figures with satirical commentary on their characteristics, pretensions, or public personas. The format suggests this was educational satire aimed at readers familiar with these notable personalities.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘CIEE LIFE'S BIOGRAPHICAL PRIMER, O IS the Queen, R IS for Rubenstein, playing that old thing in f ~ Most noble and true. For further particulars, page 22, To Rollo and Rembrandt, who wish they were deaf. S IS for Swinburne, who, seeking the true, T 1S for Talleyrand, toasting Miss Truth The good and the beautiful, visits the Zoo, By the side of her well, in a glass of vermouth, Where he chances on Sappho and Mr. Sardou, And presenting Mark Twain as the friend of his And Socrates, all with the same end in view. youth, comicbooks.com