Life, 1900-12-01 · page 14 of 44
Life — December 1, 1900 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page illustrates two stages of a fantastical journey through the senses. The left panel, titled "HEARING," shows a man awakening in a gondola, transported by magical music. The right panel, "SMELLING," depicts him surrounded by enormous roses, equipped with wings, inhaling their perfume in ecstatic joy. The narrative appears to be allegorical—a mysterious guide is leading the protagonist through sensory experiences in ascending order of pleasure. The artwork style and romantic imagery (Venice gondola, enchanted garden, fairy-tale elements) suggest this is a whimsical exploration of human sensation and aesthetic experience, likely from the early 20th century. The satire likely mocks either sentimental romanticism or the indulgent pursuit of sensory pleasure. Without seeing subsequent pages showing remaining senses (taste, touch), the ultimate point remains unclear, though the "mysterious friend" may be revealed as a satirical figure.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
REARING. He awoke from his lethargy to hear the lap, lap of water against the prow of a drifting boat and find himself reclining on the silken cushions of a gondola—his guide before him, she whispered, and the strains of the most ravishing music wero When the fairy-like airs, yravo and gay, began to fado into the distance, he suddenly “Listen,” wafted down to him on the gentle breeze. felt himself light as a butterfly, with the most intoxicating of odors intheair, He knew this must be the next sense, Ho opened his eyes, to find himself floating intho midst of enormous roses, filling him with a subtle sense of exquisite joy, and then, suddenly, ho becamo awaro that he had been endowed with a gorgeous pair of wings, He perched on the stem of a fallon flower and filled his lungs entbustastically with the dell- cious perfume that camo to him from every side. Nothing, either in heaven orearth, it seomed to him, could exceed tho sensuous volume of this transcendent emotion, His mysterious friend bade him enjoy this senso to the utmost and then prepare for tho next. comicbooks.com