Life, 1900-09-20 · page 1 of 20
Life — September 20, 1900 — page 1: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Life Magazine Cover, September 20, 1900 This satirical cartoon depicts a romantic tension about marriage and women's independence. A man in formal attire holds a cane while looking away from a woman in an elegant dress who holds an umbrella—a potential symbol of self-reliance or defiance. The dialogue reads: "Papa has looked you up." / "But, dearest, are you going to let that make any difference?" / "Oh, no! There is no reason why we should not still remain engaged." The joke plays on late-Victorian anxieties about courtship: a suitor's character investigation ("looked you up") by the woman's father has apparently revealed unflattering information. Yet the couple proposes to proceed anyway—suggesting either youthful defiance of parental authority or satirical commentary on how little scandal matters to modern couples.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
VOLUME XXXVI. NEW YORK, SEPT. 20, 1900. NUMBER 932, Entered at the New York Post Omice as Second-Ciass Mail Matter, Copyright, 1900, by Livg PUBLIaHING ComPaxT. TASH EN “PAPA Mas LookED You uP." “ BUT, DEAREST, ARE YOU GOING TO LET THAT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE?” “Ou, NO! THERE 18 NO REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT STILL REMAIN ENGAGED.” comicbooks.com