Life, 1899-10-26 · page 5 of 20
Life — October 26, 1899 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 325 This page from Life magazine (year unclear from image) satirizes early 1900s men's fashion through two contrasting figures: **Left figure**: A thin man in a checked suit with an exaggerated peacock-like pose, smoking—labeled "The Parkhurst Back Suit for Sporting Gents." This appears to mock fashionable sporting wear and affected masculine posturing. **Right figure**: An obese man in formal attire—labeled "The Oom Paul Undress Uniform to be Used on Occasion Requires." This likely references Paul Kruger (Oom Paul), the Boer leader, satirizing either his appearance or the Boer War context (1899-1902). The middle illustration labeled "Not in Our Set" shows encyclopedia volumes, possibly mocking pretentious intellectualism. The accompanying poem about a sailor reinforces themes of masculine authenticity versus artificial fashion and social pretense.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE PARKHURST SACK SUIT FOR SPORTING GENT. LIFE'S FASHIONS FOR 1900. . THE OOM PAUL UNDRESS UNIFORM TO BE USED 48 OCCASION REQUIRES, “NOT IN OUR SET.” A Poem. “THERE was a Jolly sailor who sailed the Spanish main, An extraordinary kind of chap, ridiculously plain, His trousers wore of iron, his nose was emerald green, His eyes looked every which way, with wrinkles In between, His arms wore very lengthy, double-jointed at each weist, But tho girl he sought in marriage bis beauty never mivsod, Said sho, * I've always wanted to moet just such a man And wo'll bo wed to-morrow, if you approve tho plan.”