Life, 1901-01-24 · page 20 of 20
Life — January 24, 1901 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts a well-dressed gentleman introducing two boys—apparently his son and a street urchin—suggesting they should know each other. The satire, credited to "Moonshine," mocks upper-class social pretension and anxiety about class boundaries in the Gilded Age. The joke plays on the gentleman's obliviousness: he's introducing his son to someone of vastly lower social station as if they were peers, suggesting either democratic ideals run amok or the father's poor judgment. The caption's worried tone ("What are they coming to?") reflects Victorian concerns about social hierarchies breaking down. The surrounding advertisements for luxury goods (brandy, soap, ale) underscore the class consciousness—Life's readership would recognize the irony of such concerns appearing alongside consumer products marketed to the wealthy. The cartoon is fundamentally about anxiety over changing social order in turn-of-the-century America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
January 24, 1901. is of Unequalled Value as a Household Beverage. Econ- omical, Easy to maxe—Easy to Digest. Exquisite Flavor. Bold at all grocery stores—order it next time. WHAT ARE THEY COMING TO? Tommy; BILL, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MY FATUER. YOU TWO GENTLEMEN OUOUT TO KNOW Fact oTHER.—Moonshine. As Smoothing Iron To Crumpled Linen so Is Evans’ Ale to tired mortals (Takes Out the Wrinkles) Pears’ What is wanted of soap for the skin is to wash it clean and not hurt it. Pure soap does that. This is why we want pure soap; and when we say pure, we mean without alkali. Pears’ is pure; no free alkali. There are a thou- sand virtues of soap; this one is enough. You can trust a soap that has no biting alkali in it. All sorts of stores: sell it, especially druggists; all sorts of people use it. IGARETTES “A Genuine Old Brandy made from Wine.” — Medical Press (London), Aug, 1899. MARTELL'S THREE STAR BRANDY AT ALL BARS AND RESTAURANTS, Redmond, ("5 Kerr& Co. }:" BANKERS, 41 WALL ST., N.Y. Members N, Y. Stock Exchange, commission. nee. DEAL IN, High-Grade Investment Securities, Lists of current offerin, went on application, PHILADELPHIA. CORRESPONDENTS, GRAHAM, KERR & CO. comicbooks.com